Arsenal have been commended for their signing of Thomas Partey who has been compared to the likes of Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane.
The Gunners splashed £45m on commanding midfielder Partey from Atletico Madrid after the Spanish side refused to lower their asking price from his release clause.
Partey appears to have settled in to life at the Emirates Stadium well and has impressed so far.
The 27-year-old put in his best performance so far against Manchester United over the weekend, helping the Gunners record a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
And former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has been left purring over Partey, who he compared to several of the best players the Premier League has seen.
He told The Times: “Driving, relentless midfielders, who are good at every aspect of the position and support their team’s attacks used to be common in football, going back to Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane.
“But they are increasingly rare these days, which is why Arsenal signing Thomas Partey is such a big step for them.
“He ticks every box, and can be an all-round inspiration for them in the same mould as Ben Stokes or Andrew Flintoff in cricket. Partey already looks cheap at £45million.”
Meanwhile, Keane himself commended Partey’s performance, insisting he can go on to have the same sort of impact Patrick Vieira had for the Gunners.
“He was outstanding,” Keane told Sky Sports. “He's obviously no mug having played in big games.
“When you watch a player live that's when you can judge a player and the more I look at him the more I wish he was in the United midfield. He's big, strong and aggressive - and he can pass it forward. He can deal with the ball.
“I had my battles with Vieira and I think this kid has got a chance of matching what Patrick used to do.”
