ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop has urged Arsenal to make the move for Thomas Partey when the transfer window reopens at the end of the campaign. The Ghana international has been linked with the north London side for the past 18 months but that has not necessarily materialised into a possible transfer.
Ahead of the summer, the north London side have once again been associated with the defensive midfielder and reports claim that he has been earmarked as the prime transfer target. Speaking on ESPN, Hislop said that Partey has been outstanding for Atletico Madrid in recent seasons and the Gunners should sign him at the earliest possibility.
“Thomas Partey has been outstanding for the last two years at the very least. If you’re Arsenal and you can somehow prise Partey away from Atletico Madrid, absolutely you do it all day every day. He sits in front of the back four, I’m still not sure that there are many better box-to-box midfielders in the game. If you get this done, do it now, do it quick.”
Partey recently featured against Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash where he produced a superb midfield display. The Ghanaian had an average passing percentage of just 68 but he was impressive with the defensive side of the game with four tackles, four interceptions, four clearances and three aerial duels won.
The Spanish outfit eventually won the game with a 4-2 aggregate score following the 3-2 comeback triumph at Anfield in added extra-time. Partey was valued at around £50m during the previous summer transfer window and it remains to be seen whether the Gunners are able to meet the asking price. The north London side have failed to qualify for the Champions League in the past three seasons and another failure this term could have an effect on the summer transfer business.