Thomas Partey has taken some time to get up to full speed at Arsenal, but he has always had a fan in Roy Keane, who made an astute assessment of the midfielder last year.
Partey has been one of the stand-out players for Mikel Arteta’s side in recent months, turning in consistent performances in the centre of the pitch.
The Ghana international scored his second goal of the season in the 2-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday by glancing in a near-post header.
The goal was a continuation of his excellent form since he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of January.
Partey has played 90 minutes in each of the Gunners’ past five league games, helping them win all five to unseat Manchester United from fourth place in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old midfielder joined Arsenal in October 2020 for £45million and his debut campaign was interrupted by injuries.
Nevertheless, Keane saw enough from the first few months of his time in an Arsenal shirt to see the north London club had signed a quality player for the future.
Speaking on Sky Sports in January 2021, he said: “He came in on transfer deadline day, so he never got quite up to speed, so it wasn’t a surprise that he got injured.
"He’s going to be a big player for Arsenal over the next few years. His track record... he’s used to playing in the biggest games, we know the important role in the middle of the park for Arsenal, they’ve lacked the physical presence.
"I’ve got no doubt that if he stays fit – which we’ll probably see more of next season – then he’ll be a big player for Arsenal.”
That is exactly what has happened, with Partey developing a solid midfield partnership with Granit Xhaka.
His ball-winning ability and talent on the ball has allowed the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette to flourish further forward.
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The former Atletico Madrid man was interviewed by Sky Sports following his goal scoring contribution against Leicester.
"We have a couple of difficult games coming up. We have to go game by game and that is the mentality of the team,” he said when asked about Wednesday’s match against Liverpool.
"I want to always help the team. It feels good to score at home and I feel happy."
Arsenal were impressive against Leicester, with Lacazette’s penalty after a handball by Caglar Soyuncu securing the points.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was full of praise for the team – and for Arteta in particular.
"For so often, we have been very critical of Arsenal with their defence, in terms of formation, how they set up and set pieces,” he said.
"But now they are brilliantly organised, but it has been about time that they found a real partnership, both in midfield and defence.
“That is what Arsenal fans have been wanting to see for years, and going forward they are very good."
