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Arteta: Partey will make Arsenal more balanced and versatile
The Gunners boss hopes the £45 million ($58m) signing will strengthen his side's attack as well as their defence
Mikel Arteta is confident new signing Thomas Partey will help make Arsenal more adaptable and believes he can add to both the defensive and attacking sides of their game.
The Gunners signed the midfielder from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £45 million ($58m) on the final day of the transfer window.
Partey, 27, had been on the north London side's list of targets for several months, technical director Edu revealed on Thursday, and first-team manager Arteta says he knows what the Ghana international can add to the team after watching him for so long.
The Spaniard is looking to set his side up in different formations and feels Partey's arrival opens up the possibility to try new things.
Arteta said in an interview with the club's website: "We identified him a few months ago and we have been following his progress, and obviously the more you know about the squad, you know more about where you think you can improve it.
"We believe he has the right qualities, with his character and his personality and as well with his technical qualities and positional options that he can give to the team.
"I think he allows us to play different formations and he can fit in within those formations in different positions, which is a really good thing to have in a squad where, in midfield, I think we were a little bit short.
"I have a few things in mind that I want to start to train with the team and [Partey's signing] is going to give us a little bit more adaptability and more balance in defending and attacking transitions and the way we have to set up certain structures to attack better in certain moments of the game."
Partey, who joined Atletico as a teenager, made his debut for Diego Simeone's team in November 2015 and featured in their run to the Champions League final that season.
He played a key role as the Spanish side won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2018, making 188 appearances in all competitions over his five years in the first-team.
