Gunners legend Paul Merson has described Thomas Partey as one of the best signings of the summer. Partey was brought in from Atletico Madrid for around £ 45 million. Thus, he has become one of the expensive acquisitions in the Premier League this summer.

Even then, the midfielder has shown excellent form in all of the matches. In fact, the Ghanaian has been a crucial asset for Arsenal in Europe and domestic matches. Partey has helped Arsenal breakup play like never before and it has allowed little space and time for the opposition. A recent example of his excellent performance came in the 1-0 success over Manchester United.

Merson says that he has been extremely impressed by the performances of the midfielder, and admitted that he was excited when he saw that mybettingsite listed Arsenal was Parety’s most likely destination towards the end of the transfer window.

He also went on to say that Mesut Ozil could be back in the first team before soon. The German international has not been seen in the first team since March when the team picked up a win over West Ham. This has largely been down to tactical reasons, as Ozil does not provide the defensive cover that is required to excel in the top matches. Merson says that the presence of Partey will allow Arteta to use an offensive midfielder like Ozil without worrying about the defence.

“When you talk about signings in the summer, he’s [Partey] got to be number one. I cannot believe, without being horrible here, that Arsenal got him. I don’t mean that in a horrible way, they’re all crying out for it – I know Manchester United are top-heavy and they’ve got Fred, McTominay and Matic, but they haven’t got a Partey. I think there’s a stage for Ozil now that Partey’s in the team. With Partey in there now, who’s so dominant in there and doesn’t lose the ball, I think there’s a place for Ozil now,” said Merson.