Thomas Partey has issued his first message to the Arsenal “family” he joined on transfer deadline day.
Arsenal realised part of a seven-month plan with the late capture of midfielder Partey from Atletico Madrid for around £45m.

The deal left Atletico ‘furious’ with Arsenal but the Gunners will be content with adding another piece of the jigsaw to their midfield puzzle.
Why Partey is not ‘the modern-day Vieira’ at Arsenal
Partey has now addressed the supporters for the first time while on international duty with Ghana as their vice-captain.

“Hi guys. Thanks so much for the love and for the message I have received,” he said on Arsenal’s Twitter timeline. “I can’t wait to be part of you guys, I can’t wait to join the team.
“It’s a great feeling to be part of a family like this. Thanks so much to everyone for the love, I feel so grateful and I feel so amazed to be part of you. I can’t wait to join you guys.
“And don’t forget, no Thomas, No Partey!”
Well that’s a real shame.

Mikel Arteta feels the 27-year-old “has the right qualities, with his character and his personality” to prosper in north London.
“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,” said the manager.
“I have a few things in mind that I want to start to train with the team and this 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.”