Thomas Partey is perhaps the most notable Ghanaian football player in the world right now. He’s a first team regular for Atlético Madrid, won the Ghana Player of the Year award in 2018 and 2019, and is wanted by some of the world’s biggest sides.
It’s little surprise that Partey is among 2020’s big transfer rumours. He’s a technically gifted, defensively reliable, and energetic midfielder with the quality to improve pretty much any team in world football.
Arsenal are among the clubs said to be after him, but is that likely to be his destination?
We look at what the sports betting sites think, if Arsenal can afford to sign him, and if they can afford not to buy him.
What are the sports betting sites saying?
Sports betting websites are a great indication of the likelihood of transfers materialising. They literally have a vested interest in them, with many taking bets on player sales. Some of the leading sites are very warm on the prospect of Thomas Partey joining Arsenal.
Betfair Casino is one of the top sports betting sites on the planet. It has two decades worth of experience in the industry and the positive reviews of Betfair Casino (https://www.onlinecasinos.co.uk/casino-reviews/betfair_1.htm) show it to be an organisation that can be trusted.
Betfair Casino is also one of the specialists in transfer rumours and it currently makes Arsenal the favourites to sign Partey. It puts the likelihood of him joining the Gunners at 4/11, ahead of Man Utd on 15/2.
To put all this into context, a successful £10 bet on Partey joining Arsenal would earn you a profit of £3.64 while a winning punt on him moving to Man Utd would bring you a £75 boost.
It’s pretty clear from the odds that the sports betting sites think Partey is very likely to join Arsenal. The questions then are whether the Gunners can afford to sign him, if they have greater priorities, and if he even wants to move to North London.
Can Arsenal afford to sign Thomas Partey?
Arsenal are officially the eighth best team in England in 2020. The Gunners have had a poor season that’s left them further away from title contention than they’ve been for a generation.
Financial reviews of football clubs (https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/05/29/the-worlds-most-valuable-soccer-teams-2019/) also make Arsenal the 7th most valuable in the world.
The club has both the loss of status and wealth that should demand that they go after Thomas Partey.
But they may have no European football in the 20/21 season and that might change things.
Competing in European football doesn’t just bring in cash from TV deals and winning a cup.
The commercial agreements signed by teams are often linked to appearance in European competition. It’s simple to understand why – playing in Europe puts the names of sponsors in front of more people, making it simple maths to factor that into deals.
It’s difficult to know how much Arsenal will be down financially if they have no European football, but it’s likely to be a loss they’d rather not have to deal with.
This means that there’s a risk that they may not be able to afford his £45m release fee.
Can Arsenal afford not to sign Thomas Partey?
Desperate times shouldn’t call for desperate measures.
Acting in this way leads to rash decisions that can jeopardize long term plans. Unfortunately for the Arsenal board, the Gunners don’t have the luxury of being able to turn their nose up at making signings that will cost more than they’d like to pay.
Arsenal are dropping down the league in dangerous fashion.
While sports commentators have highlighted Mikel Arteta’s skills (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/07/20/arsenal-have-right-coach-mikel-arteta-now-must-back-transfer/), the team is woefully short on overall quality and star performers. If the team is to avoid further drift then action is needed.
Arsenal need Thomas Partey because their midfield is a mess. It’s brittle, insipid, and pedestrian.
The board needs only look at what has happened to Man Utd since signing Bruno Fernandes to appreciate the significance of investing in a midfielder of genuine quality.
Partey is, of course, a different player than Fernandes. He’s a destroyer and facilitator rather than a maverick and creator. But he can bring drive and purpose to the team, just like Fernandes has for Utd.
The reality is that Arsenal still have earning power but if they don’t strike now they might not for much longer. And what’s £45m compared to the loss of finances from a prolonged period outside of Europe?
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It’s said that you should never believe a transfer rumour until the player has signed a contract. However, in the case of Thomas Partey it just seems right that he should move to Arsenal.
Not only do the side need him but Partey himself wants the move.
Nothing is certain in football but we’re saying that there’s a strong likelihood of Partey moving to the Gunners in the 2020 window.