Ghana midfielder, Thomas Partey has opened up on his decision to join Premier League side, Arsenal.
The 30-year-old joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £45 million on transfer deadline-day in 2020.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Partey revealed that, he moved to the Premier League to test himself.
“Everybody knows about Arsenal, the profile, and I had arrived as one of the stars, there to help the team to grow,” Partey said.
“So it was a big change, and the style of play is different too. All I could do was stay positive, get used to it, and learn to deal with a new situation where everybody expects you to be at your very top level every single day. It was a good learning experience for me.
“One of the reasons I joined though was for that challenge. I know the Premier League is very tough, but I wanted to feel that challenge, to test myself, and feel capable of doing it. My agent supported me a lot, and my parents, and also everybody at the club was great for me. You have to stay positive, learn from everything that happens, and just control the things that you can.”
Partey spent seven years at Atletico Madrid, where he had loan stints with Real Mallorca and Almeria, and later won La Liga, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup with Diego Simeone’s side.
In his four and a half years at Arsenal, Partey has won the Community Shield and helped the Gunners to return to the UEFA Champions League.
Thomas Partey, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury will hope to feature for Arsenal when they travel to play Manchester City in a must-win game this weekend at the Etihad Stadium.
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