It might have taken a long time to get over the line, but deadline day of the summer transfer window finally brought Arsenal fans the signing they had been craving for months.
The Gunners brought in Ghanaian international midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid, after paying his release clause of £45 million.
Partey, aged 27 years, arrives at the peak of his game, as a signing who has undoubtedly strengthened Arsenal’s midfield. He has already made a mark on the team, playing a starring role in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, which marked Arsenal’s first away win against a ‘Big Six’ rival in quite a few years. This signing is a definite statement of intent from the Arsenal hierarchy, both in terms of their plans of making it back into the UEFA Champions League as well as their support for manager Mikel Arteta. Arteta, who arrived at the club last year, has had some teething troubles during his tenure so far, but there has been clear evidence of a plan in terms of playing style and tactics that the Spaniard is trying to implement, and Partey is a superb addition to his lineup.
It has also been a busy period for Arsenal off the pitch, as they recently announced that cryptocurrency-based betting firm Sportsbet.io is their new betting partner. It is a three-year deal and will see Sportsbet.io provide customized experiences and offers for Arsenal fans, as well as looking to drive the popularity of the game, especially women’s football, in Estonia, where it is based, by using the popularity and dominance of the Arsenal women’s team in the Women’s Super League. These sort of sponsorship and partnership deals are extremely important, and even more so in the current climate, where all football clubs have seen significant drops in their revenue due to the absence of fans in stadiums. During the lockdown period where there was no football being played, many sports fans had to look for alternative forms of entertainment, especially in terms of sports betting and gambling. Online casinos with football themed online casino games became quite popular for gambling fans, and this has continued even when football has returned, so it does make sense for Arsenal to continue such cooperations to take advantage of this.
Coming back to Partey, he will add something different to the Arsenal midfield. Arsenal currently have Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos (on loan from Real Madrid), and Mohamed Elneny as their midfield options. Partey has the ability to be a box-to-box player, capable of breaking up opposition attacks, but then also being able to pick out a pass and drive forward in possession, which is different from the skill-set of Arteta’s other options. Xhaka is good on the ball as a deeper playmaker, but is not the best defensively, and has the tendency to commit fouls and to give the ball away. Elneny, on the other hand, is strong defensively, but not good enough on the ball, while Ceballos offers the ability to link play with the attack and be a creative option. Thus, Partey can complement all of these options, and can also tailor his game to suit his midfield partner as well as his opponents.
It remains to be seen if Partey will be able to drag Arsenal into the top four and thereby a spot in next season’s Champions League. They have not played in Europe’s elite tournament since the 2016-17 season, and are losing out revenue because of that, as well as not being as attractive to top players. Partey will add top level experience as well, along with his ability on the pitch, and Arsenal fans will be hoping that it will be enough for their team to make it back into the Champions League.
COMMENTS