Arsenal’s big-money summer signing has revealed why there will be no ‘Partey’ at Emirates Stadium in 2020-21, with the £45 million ($58m) addition opting to wear ‘Thomas’ on his shirt.
Mikel Arteta brought a long-running transfer saga to a close on the final day of the window. With the clock ticking down, the Gunners pushed through a late deal with Atletico Madrid.
Partey, who had been on their radar for some time, is now preparing for a new adventure in English football.
Many are tipping him to slot seamlessly into the fold at Arsenal, with his combative qualities in the holding midfield role seemingly tailor-made to life in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old, who shunned interest from elsewhere in order to make his way to north London, is eager to get going.
He will, however, be donning his Christian name on the back of his No.18 jersey.
Explaining that decision, the Ghana international said on the club’s official website: “I’ve seen that there are Partey’s everywhere and even the photographer asked me why I don’t use Partey on my shirt and I said it’s because I started with Thomas and people are familiar with Thomas, so I need to go with Thomas.”
Partey is looking to hit the ground running at Arsenal and is already being billed as the solution to the Gunners’ long-standing issues in the middle of the park. He is expected to fill a role once occupied by the likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, but the former Atletico star says he is prepared to play wherever he is required
“I think the most important thing is that I like to play in the midfield, but then wherever I need to play to help the team, I will play there and try my best to help the team,” he added.
It could be that Partey is thrown in at the deep end on Saturday with a debut against Manchester City, up against the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho.
“Well, it's the decision of Mikel,” Partey said when asked if he is expecting to face City. “I just arrived. For me, I'm prepared but I need to get used to the style of play before I can play.”