The end for Partey: Arsenal make world-class £51m star their priority signing
da poker： It was another semi-final defeat on Wednesday night for Arsenal and, as a result, another season that’ll end trophyless.
da cassino online： It was always going to be a tough challenge for Mikel Arteta’s side to overturn their first-leg defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain, but to lose 2-1 on the night just makes it all the more painful.
Moreover, while the visitors started the first half pretty well, they soon faded, and while they played with some real heart, a number of players just didn’t perform well enough.
One of those was Thomas Partey, who picked up a 3/10 match rating from Alex Turk of the Express, and while there was talk of a contract renewal, there have also been links to a certain international who could join this summer and send him packing.
Arsenal transfer news
Before getting to the player in question, it is worth taking a look at some of the other midfield stars Arsenal have been linked with in recent weeks, like Hugo Larsson and Eduardo Camavinga.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former is still only 20 years old but has already become an established starter at Eintracht Frankfurt and could reportedly cost up to £51m, while the latter was sent off against the Gunners in the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final with the club, but with a release clause of £1bn, who knows how much he’d cost.
Fortunately, another international midfielder heavily linked with the North Londoners has a far more reasonable release clause and could be the ideal Partey replacement: Martin Zubimendi.
Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are still incredibly keen on signing the Real Sociedad star this summer, with Arteta making him a ‘top reinforcement priority.’
While interest from Real is far from ideal, reports from elsewhere claiming the Spaniard has a release clause worth £51m could and should make signing him far more straightforward for the North Londoners.
It might still be a lot of money, but Zubimendi has proven his ability over several years now, and as he could be the perfect Partey replacement, Arsenal should do all they can to bring him to N5.
How Zubimendi compares to Partey
So then, if Arsenal are able to sign Zubimendi this summer, there is no doubt he’d come in and play the position Partey has this season, but how does he stack up to the veteran?
Is he good enough to send him packing in the summer without a new contract?
Well, given their position on the pitch and what their primary roles are, their raw output is not all that important.
Instead, the best way to better understand how they truly stack up against one another is to look under the hood at their relevant underlying numbers.
When doing this, it’s evident that while the former Atlético Madrid star does have the advantage in some areas, the bread and butter of a number six, the defensive work, is done far better by the San Sebastian-born star.
Zubimendi vs Partey
Statistics per 90
Zubimendi
Partey
Progressive Carries
1.14
1.14
Progressive Passes
5.92
6.09
Passing Accuracy
83.2%
87.3%
Completed Long Passes
3.55
3.02
Blocked Shots
0.54
0.25
Blocked Passes
0.77
0.64
Interceptions
1.20
1.14
Clearances
2.47
1.64
Errors Leading to a Shot
0.10
0.14
Fouls
1.40
1.43
Ball Recoveries
4.38
4.38
Aerial Duels Won
1.67
0.93
Aerial Duel Win %
61.7%
54.2%
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Domestic Season
For example, the “world-class” defensive midfielder, as dubbed by former teammate Kieran Tierney, comes out on top in essential metrics like blocked shots and passes, interceptions, aerial duels won, clearances made, and he even makes fewer mistakes that lead to a shot, all per 90.
On top of this statistical advantage, the “elite” international, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also five and a half years the Ghanaian’s junior and has a far healthier injury record.
For example, across his entire career, the Basque star has missed just ten games for club and country, whereas the Gunners’ number five has missed a staggering 88, so no matter how available he’s been this year, you can never truly rely on him in the long run.
Ultimately, from his defensive output to his availability and age, it’s clear that Zubimendi would be the perfect player to come in and replace Partey this summer, in turn making a new contract for the 31-year-old redundant.
Related Arsenal line up move for PSG star who'd be a big upgrade on Martinelli
The incredibly entertaining international is just what Arsenal need this summer.
