Only three months ago Thomas Partey was rating his own performances as four out of 10, but now he is pushing for full marks.
Partey was at the heart of Arsenal’s victory over Leicester on Sunday, their fifth in a row, and it is no surprise that the Gunners’ march towards Champions League qualification has coincided with the midfielder finding his feet.
He was everywhere against Leicester, scoring Arsenal’s opener after 11 minutes and winning their penalty in the second-half when Caglar Soyuncu handled his goal-bound header.
Partey also topped Arsenal’s tackle count and finished the game with a pass completion rate of 89 per cent.
“He criticised himself very hard I think [earlier in the season], but he’s fit, he’s healthy, he’s so important for us,” said Granit Xhaka.
“You can see his qualities without the ball, with the ball and everything starts from him and not only on the pitch, but off the pitch as well he’s a lovely guy, a guy who helps the young people a lot. I’m enjoying being a part of the midfield with him.”
No wonder Xhaka is enjoying playing alongside Partey as he now looks like the player Arsenal paid £45million to sign from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020.
It has not been easy for the Ghanaian to settle since then, with injury disrupting his first season. The 28-year-old spent this summer staying in England, getting fit, but then injured his ankle in a friendly against Chelsea.
Partey now feels physically at his best and off the pitch he is settled too. Over the past year he has moved out of rented accommodation and bought his own apartment.
Moving clubs and countries is never easy, but the pandemic made it harder for all players. Partey was no different, however now he is beginning to transform Arsenal’s midfield.
The Ghanaian is playing at the base of a trio, with Xhaka and Martin Odegaard ahead of him. The role has provided Partey the space to shine and his influence was clear against Leicester.
He is building an understanding with Odegaard too, who was equally impressive in yesterday’s 2-0 win. Time and time again he opened Leicester up, creating six chances (twice as many as any other Arsenal player), and the £30m Arsenal paid for him last summer looks better value with every passing week.
“He was terrific again in every aspect of the game, what he had to do in defending, when we were high, when we were deep, in build-up phases, in the final third, the way he understands and manages the game when needed,” said Mikel Arteta.
“I think he’s come a long way since his arrival, he’s showing great maturity and responsibility on the pitch and he makes the other players better I think.”
Arsenal wrapped up yesterday’s win just before the hour mark and once again Partey was involved. This time he headed towards goal, but the ball flicked off Leicester defender Soyuncu’s hand and VAR advised referee Anthony Taylor to review it. A penalty was given and Alexandre Lacazette made no mistake.
It wrapped up a perfect afternoon for Partey and Arsenal, who are well and truly in the driving seat to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
They currently sit fourth in the League, one point ahead of Manchester United in fifth, but crucially they have three games in hand on them.
One of those will come on Wednesday night, when the Gunners host Liverpool, and that game will be a true sign of how far Arsenal and Partey have come.
At the start of the season they were dismantled at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp’s side ran out 4-0 winners.
Arsenal look a different team to back then, though, and no one underlines that more than Partey.
