As football fans were left to digest Arsenal’s performance in their 1-0 triumph over Manchester United, one footballer was struck by the presence of a key midfielder for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Watford striker Troy Deeney, who suffered relegation with the Hornets last season, gave his verdict on Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey during his guest slot on talkSPORT (7:35am, November 2, 2020).
The veteran striker was keen to express the impression that the midfielder made on him. Moreover, Deeney hailed the level of scouting and planning that went into luring the Ghanaian to north London from Atletico Madrid on deadline day a month ago.
Arteta has previously admitted his long-standing interest in the experienced Ghana international as he told Arsenal’s official website that the midfielder allows the Gunners “to play different formations and he can fit in within those formations in different positions, which is a really good thing to have in a squad where, in midfield”.
Speaking about Partey on talkSPORT, Deeney said: “It is interesting when you listen to Arteta talk about the characteristics that they were looking at before buying him.
“So they had identified the target area that they wanted and had gone and got the player. He was very good at Atletico. He was really good (against Manchester United).
“He is giving the defence that confidence that there is going to be someone to cover all the time. He is a big powerful boy. He can play as well.”
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At just 27 years old, Partey still has a lot to offer in his career, and his presence should serve as an immense boost to Arteta’s plans.
It is unsurprising that Deeney was left impressed by what he saw of Partey; it is clear that Arsenal knew for some time that the Ghanaian could be impactful, and impactful he was: as per WhoScored, Partey won their Man of the Match at Old Trafford for his role as he managed a superb passing accuracy rate of 93.3%.
He strung Arsenal together both offensively and defensively and is already living up to the promise he was expected to fulfil.
