Thomas Partey to Arsenal is easily one of the best signings of the summer; and arguably the best Premier League signing in terms of the weight the signing holds. He’s the world-class midfielder Arsenal have needed for years.

Arsenal made the right decision by prioritising Thomas Partey. Many people have been saying that Arsenal lack creativity in midfield, which isn’t wrong. However, some people forget that Partey is one of the world’s best second/third phase passers + offers dynamism.

Partey’s versatility is also very impressive. Some say he’s a mixture of B2B & DM, but obviously, his best position is as a B2B midfielder. There’s no doubt he’s world-class in that position. As a DM however, he’s borderline world-class, so it wouldn’t be the worse choice to-

play him as a DM if needed, but it would be a waste if the #8 spot is free. He’s the best double pivot CM in world football. There’s no doubt that he gets into every Premier League team’s starting 11, and arguably gets into every team in world football’s starting 11.

It’s not unknown how good Partey’s dribbling is either. Only behind Thiago in accurate dribble % in Europe. Partly because he dribbles out from deep, but it also proves Partey is the best defensive third dribbler in world football.

The player he resembles most in his attributes IMO is Michael Essien, and it’s not because they’re both Ghanaian. They’re both extremely technical, great defensively, pose an attacking threat, tanks, aggressive, & robust. Both can play as a B2B (where Partey excels),-

DM (where Essien excels), and as a FB if desperate, and have performed at a high level there.

In terms of where he fits into Arsenal’s midfield, he starts in every scenario. IMO, him & Saka have stamped their authority there. Saka as a LCM/LW hybrid interchanging with Willian, who on paper is a LW but likes to drift inside; and preferably, Partey as a B2B

who on paper is the RCM. For the third midfield space I’d personally go for Xhaka. Off the ball, Partey would drop deep and form a pivotaith Xhaka. On the ball, he would push forward and offer attacking support, which is an underrated aspect of his game. People don’t realise-

he can be a good contributor to the attacking side of things, because of Simeone’s system’s limitation. If Arteta opts for Ceballos, I’d like to believe he would go for Partey as a DM on paper (not his best position) while Ceballos is placed at RCM. A Gabriel/Partey/Aubameyang-

spine is very exciting too. The gist is, Partey is an unbelievable that would transform Arsenal’s midfield; not completely YET, however, it’s a step in the right direction.