Thomas Partey Scouting Thread

Team: Atletico Madrid

The hottest topic in the midfield transfer market right now and an integral part of Simeone’s system.

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The Basics first…

Position: Center Midfield

Height: 6’0

Weight: 172 lbs.

Goals: 5

Assists: 0

Playing for Atletico Madrid has caused Thomas Partey to learn a lot about being very disciplined. We all saw the tactical masterclass from Simeone against Liverpool.

This system focuses on defensive stability in a 4-4-2 formation, where Partey plays next to Saul.

For reference, here’s their heatmaps:

As you can tell, Partey is really the heart of the midfield while Saul tends to push further up the field and be a bit more of a creator.

This movement from Saul means that a majority of defensive stability relies on Partey.

A hot topic of conversation is worth mentioning here:

Can he play as a lone DM?

Short answer, absolutely.

Is that his role with Atleti though? No. Well. Sorta. But no.

Does he have the defensive ability though? Yes, absolutely. It would just take a bit to learn the new system.

Since most rumors are pointing to Arsenal right now, it’s likely that he’d be playing in a similar pivot with Xhaka, who would take on a deep lying playmaker role,

...while Partey does the dirty work.

Let’s get into his defensive abilities.

His high amount of defensive actions are one of his most impressive qualities. He is doing everything, everywhere.

This is seen in the graphic below from @Squawka

On top of having a high amount of engagements, he also has one of the higher %s in the top 5 leagues at tackling with a 69.5% success rate.

This puts him near the top in successful tackles as well, with an average of 2.79 per game. (Paired with an impressive 1.57 int. per game.)

When looking at his slice chart, I was reminded of another midfielder in the Premier League who many people rate really highly.

Wilfred Ndidi.

Another player known for his defensive attributes, people often criticize Ndidi for not being great when he wins the ball back.

There is absolutely an element of truth to that, and Partey somewhat blows him out of the water in the other stats because of that.

Despite a lower completion percentage, Partey has almost double the amount of long passes and passes into the final third.

That being said, a lot of those numbers can depend on play style and the rest of the team.

(Considering Maddison plays in the same midfield as Ndidi, I’m not surprised he does almost nothing to advance play. But those dribbling stats are a massive L.)

Looking further at these statistics, the dribbling stats are a big W for Partey. This high percentage success rate not only shows quality with his feet but also intelligence.

Compared to some of the top dribblers in the world…

Sancho - 53.9%
Mbappe - 50.78%
D. Costa - 66.67%

(Here's Partey compared to other midfielders:

Not much going forward, but getting a solid number per game.)

Obviously wingers have more attempts, and have almost double the amount of successful ones as Partey, but it still shows a great deal of skill.

That being said, his success rate in dribbling is a huge point in his favor and really shows his quality as a player.

This comparison already shows that he would have a high proficiency in the premier league in the defensive area, but next I want to look at how he compares offensively to some of the other top DMs.

Specifically Rodri, Fabinho and Kante.

First, Rodri:

Because of Pep’s style, Rodri absolutely dominates Partey in defensive stats. Not really surprising.

That being said though, Partey absolutely dominates Rodri in the defensive area.

Next, Fabinho:
Partey looks outstanding here, being better at almost everything in the defensive area.

As for the offensive numbers, they’re identical in passing, while Partey edges in dribbling.

Now for Kante:

A different player build, but similar position.

Dribbling? Partey.
Defense? Tie.
Passing? Partey again.

Remember though, that’s just based on the statistics. By no means am I saying that Partey is the best defensive minded midfielder in the world already.

But it’s pretty evident that on paper, Partey can keep up with the best already, and is nearing his prime years.

Finally, let’s talk about his future a bit.

To be blunt, Atleti are a big club. They spent massive amounts of money on Felix, and there’s no reason they can’t keep him.

If he does move on though, I expect him to move to the Prem, with Arsenal likely being the landing spot.

END OF THREAD

Written by @JohnWondxr
Charts from @MartonBalla1
Graphics by @JohnWondxr and @Squawka
Radar charts from http://footballslices.com 
Stats from @fbref and @Wyscout

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