Arsenal have been linked with Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey, and in other to secure the signing of Thomas Partey they’d have to meet the club’s release clause.

It’s a repeat of what happened to Arteta while he was still in the coaching crew of Manchester City when they brought Rodri over to the Etihad.

Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta served as the assistant coach of Manchester City from 2017 till 2019, he worked directly with Pep Guardiola. During the last summer transfer window, he convinced the Manchester City gaffer to bring in Spanish midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid by paying his release clause.

Pep Guardiola had to pay the £62.6million release clause put on Rodri, which translates to him [Rodri] buying his contract with Atletico and became a Citizen.

There’s a custom in the Spanish La Liga which states that every player must have a mandatory buyout clause, and Manchester City who’re known to be moneybags took advantage of the situation to land the midfielder who was their prime target last summer.

It is believed that Guardiola was convinced by his then assistant to splash out cash for the signing of the 24-year-old. Arteta likened the foremer Athletico Madrid’s midfielder to Barcelona’s legend Sergio Busquets.

Despite Rodri having not having a loud season, the former Everton player wants to take a transfer trip to Madrid in other to capture another prized jewel away from the Wanda Metropolitano in the person of Black Stars midfielder Thomas Partey.

The 27-year-old joined the Rojiblancos ten years ago as a youth from his native land in Ghana, but became a mainstay in the first team in 2015.

Thomas is a very different kind of player to Rodri who he signed last season for City. The 24-year-old is touted by Guardiola as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho who has served as City’s holding midfielder for over six years.

Partey’s release clause of £42m is a relatively low compared to Rodri’s £62.6m. Partey is more of a box-to-box operator, capable of offering quality play to both attacking and defensive phases of the game.

He’s a good ball tracker, efficient tackler that breaks up opposition attacks and he could as well play some defense splitting balls. It’s obvious that he would inject both life into the Arsenal midfield.

Partey would be a perfect fit for Arteta’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, and would love to play in a fluid system than the rigid one he is used to under the guidance Diego Simeone.
Athleti are not going to reduce anything from their buy out clause as they’ve pegged it at nothing less than £42million.

Arteta is likely to pay that sum of money for the Ghanaian as he was part of the force that led Pep Guardiola to splash £62 million on a lesser midfielder.

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