Thomas Partey is now an Arsenal player. Here is a thread with some background on him, style of play and how/why he will fit at Arsenal.

Partey began to establish himself properly with Atleti around 2017/2018. After struggling to figure out what type of player he really was, Atleti found a role for him at the base of their midfield. Koke and Saúl often played wide/as interiors so Partey stepped up centrally.

As Gabi wound down his career at Atleti, Partey came in and provided not only freshness but physical presence and a wide passing range in deep areas and final third. He also had something no other Atleti player had; he was graceful enough on the ball to play out of trouble.

Often played within a double pivot, Partey’s form was that good the club rewarded him with a new deal. The player had fully bought into Simeone’s methods and demands. As other CM’s came and went, he was intelligent and hard working enough to get everything many others did not.

Over time Partey became more confident, authoritative and essential to Atleti’s system. He protected the defence with his presence and ability to nip danger in the bud before it formed. His recovery pace is at a good level but keep in mind he’s smart enough to position himself.

Atleti were in some way surprised at Partey’s development here. Yes, they saw the potential, but they didn’t realise he had the tactical acumen to carry off the role. In Almería (very successful loan) he played as a 10, a winger and a B2B centre-midfielder.

His main qualities are the ability to take the ball from the backline, calmly play into teammates and use his footwork to dribble through midfield (high press resistant qualities). At 1.82m, he’s deceptively graceful in possession and extremely calm, soothing.

He is NOT a powerhouse midfielder or destroyer. He’s more methodical than that. Yes, he’s athletic and his physique makes him difficult to knock off the ball but his reading of the game + soothing nature in hectic moments under Simeone has shone above everything else.