Arsenal: Thomas Partey has been both disappointing and destructive

Thomas Partey Criticisms at Arsenal

Signed as a defensive midfielder who would be given more license to express himself than at Atletico Madrid previously, the more advanced element of his game has been lacking.

His shooting, firstly, is surprisingly woeful. It’s almost an unwritten rule that holding midfielders have a vicious drive on them, feeding into the idea of them being ‘destroyers’. Not so with Partey. Not even close with Partey. Usually hitting Row Z or Solar System Z, he needs to hang fire with Mohamed Elneny when he does his shooting practice with Steve Round. Please.

Whenever he does score we can be sure the roof, and the net, will come off.

However, it’s his passing which has caused the most dissatisfaction. Since his full return from injury, stray passes out of touch have become increasingly frequent, with Villarreal the latest demonstration of those tendencies. A few questionable decisions on the ball in those areas coupled with hopeless finishing are immensely frustrating as they detract from all the finer qualities he does bring to the team.

The loose passes more closely resemble someone yet to fully understand their teammates. That excuse can only last for so long with 28 Arsenal games now under his belt and it’s clear certain relationships haven’t been built with all members of the squad. Such an on-field bond has been forged with Granit Xhaka, who when partnering the 28-year-old has helped produce his more established performances in red and white.

Partey isn’t comfortable with certain passes and freedom of movement when alongside Elneny or Ceballos, an area of his game that opens up with the Swiss to his side. While a player of his unquestionable quality should not be given a free pass – no pun intended – to make errors on the ball depending on his partner, you challenge any midfielder to bring out their best playing with an erratic Ceballos to one side.

It even shows that when the Spaniard got sent off against Villarreal, Partey came into his own. He looked freer in his distribution, with bodies in front to aim for. He looked unshackled.

For the outlay and given the injuries severely hampering his progress so far, Partey has been a disappointing signing. But there is too much insistence to focus on negative aspects, the like of which will improve for next season. What about all the good he brings? Take him out of this side and the drop-off would be substantial.