Partey Deal Not Happening
News broke today that Arsenal’s pursuit of Thomas Partey has taken a negative turn. According to Arseblog, Partey has wage demands which are a stumbling block for The Gunners. His expectations exceed £200,000 a week.
Previously, it had been reported that the £45 million release clause in the Ghanaian international’s contract was the barrier. This is due to the restrictions on the club’s finances. COVID and a consistent lack of Champions League football being the root cause.
The deal is looking increasingly unlikely to happen despite the best efforts of some of Arsenal Twitter’s finest ‘In the Know’ (ITK) accounts claiming otherwise. This now presents a significant problem for Mikel Arteta.
Dani Ceballos is still yet to be re-signed and there is no confirmation this will take place. Arteta has shown clear intent to strengthen the midfield. This raises the question, if Arsenal cannot get Thomas Partey or a player close to his quality should they sign anyone in that role this season?
The Pivotal Role
Looking specifically at a midfielder of Partey’s role, playing the number 6 position. Arsenal have needed a quality, industrious and consistent player there for years. Lucas Torreira’s arrival brought hope he could be the missing piece. However, the Uruguayan’s position changed under Emery and signs do not seem positive for the future.
Arsenal could look to sign an alternative. Links have been made to Roma’s Amadou Diawara. The 23-year-old represents a much younger option with considerably more sell-on value compared to Partey.
But the positives are hard to find statistically. Partey’s defensive duel success was 62% compared to Diawara’s 54%. Partey records an average of 4.7 interceptions to the Guinean’s 3.84. Plus, the Atletico Madrid midfielder recovers the ball 9.66 times per game compared to Diawara’s 7.48 (Wyscout). Stats of other alternatives such as Danilo Pereira or Gerson, who have been linked previously, field similar reading.
Diawara’s statistics are far from bad, but they are not on the level of Thomas Partey. The outlay for an alternative would be in the region of £25-30 million. It would almost certainly spell the end to any future interest in Partey were Arsenal to gain additional funds in a later window.
The Need For Patience
Therefore, there is a strong argument to suggest Arsenal should wait. If the club cannot sign a player in the pivotal position who is not of world class quality, why rush? Arsenal have made the mistake of signing mediocre players in key positions for too long. Yes, Mustafi and David Luiz have looked better under our Spanish head coach. But Arsenal have still strengthened with Willian Saliba and hopefully Gabriel Magalhaes.
The only hope for Arsenal is to sign someone of similar quality. The only name in that bracket linked with The Gunners is Thiago. However, conversations with Bundesliga journalists have revealed a transfer is unlikely.
For me, Arsenal should wait. We cannot afford to risk a significant fee on another ‘Torreira.’ Whoever Arsenal choose to sign for the role must be brilliant and as close to a guaranteed success as you can get.
Anything other than a ‘Partey,’ is not smart. And smart, is what Arsenal must be this transfer window.