Arsenal eye summer move for Atletico Madrid's Thomas Partey

Arsenal have placed Thomas Partey high on their list of summer transfer targets, as Mikel Arteta views the Ghanaian as a central figure to his forthcoming rebuild. It’s all been a bit all over the place on the pitch for the Gunners of late.

Arteta’s side have found out a bit of form in the league, clawing themselves back into contention for at least the Europa League spot, with three consecutive wins but their exit from the Europa League at the hands of Olympiacos was characteristic fragility about the squad.

Partey is looked to as a tried and tested midfield hard man and has been a relentlessly effective force in the heart of the Atletico midfield in recent seasons. Thomas is an efficient ball-winner and a ball-carrier. 

As per the reports of The Telegraph, Arsenal see him as the ideal option to add some steel to their central midfield options which are, on the whole, a little lightweight and inconsistent.

Granit Xhaka’s improvement since Arteta took over has been quite evident. However, Lucas Torreira has struggled with injuries, while Matteo Guendouzi has yet to nail down a spot under Arteta after reports of a fall-out last month.

Partey is physically more imposing and a steady reliable option, better than any of the current midfielders. He is reported to have a release clause of £45m and his performances in the Champions League have been enough to convince Arteta that he is worthy.

Atletico are said to have received formal interest from an unnamed English club. That squares with the reports from last month claiming that Arsenal had reached out to the player’s representatives to discuss a possible move. Arsenal have been improving but consistency is still a big question mark for the Gunners.

Arteta would definitely be looking forward to getting the player in his squad as he aims to start challenging for the top spots in the Premier League again.

featured image credits- football.london