Thomas Partey to Arsenal has been one of the biggest transfer rumours of the summer amid reports that Mikel Arteta is keen to trigger the midfielder’s £42m release clause.
Of course, if a deal took place it would leave Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone with a huge problem.
Partey has proved his worth since the retirement of club legend Gabi and worked exceedingly well alongside Saúl Ñíguez in Atleti’s compact 4-4-2.
So should the 26-year-old join Arsenal or anyone else during the next transfer window, Simeone will need to find a hard-working, energetic and defensive-minded midfielder to add to his ranks. With that in mind, here are three potential Partey alternatives.
Allan – Napoli
The Brazilian midfielder could be a perfect fit for Simeone’s style of play. At Napoli, Allan has performed the role of midfield custodian over the past couple of seasons and there have been links to Atleti in the past week.
His defensive solidity and disciplined positioning has meant the more creative Fabián Ruiz can support attacks with his running from deep. Allan is a strong tackler, a requisite of any Simeone side, intercepts well and is one of European football’s most intense pressers.
According to the website FBRef.com, Allan completed more pressures than any other player in Italy’s top flight. He also won more tackles than any other Serie A player.
This season, he has been in and out of the Napoli side due to various injuries and managerial changes. Nevertheless, he would be a great addition to Simeone’s side owing to his tenacity, perseverance and sturdiness in protecting a defence.
Mauro Arambarri – Getafe
Getafe have been one of La Liga’s most miserly and troublesome sides to face this season.
And defensive midfielder Arambarri has been an integral part of the club’s push for a European place next season.
The Uruguayan is a hard-tackling, hassler of a central midfielder. Collectively, no side in La Liga has pressed their opponents more than Getafe this season.
A key facet of Simeone’s Atletico sides is their ability to suffocate teams out of possession in congested central areas. Arambarri is already schooled in these methods, and his statistics mirror those of Partey – both have made 36 interceptions in the league, according to FBRef.com.
A Spanish speaker, Arambarri would be a good fit at Atleti due to his tenacity, work ethic and ability to be moulded into a Simeone-esque player and is reportedly being earmarked as a possible alternative to Allan to replace Partey.
Konrad Laimer – RB Leipzig
Already a player of Champions League pedigree, Laimer has established himself as one of RB Leipzig’s unsung heroes this year. In Julian Nagelsmann’s energetic, fluid attacking setup, Laimer has played predominantly in central midfield.
As with the other Partey alternatives, Laimer is an excellent presser. But while Arambarri and Allan are more defensively-minded, Laimer is capable of galloping forward to support attacks - as shown by his two goals and five Bundesliga assists this year.
Laimer has the box-to-box ability that would allow Simeone to employ his favoured counter-attacking style, but is nimble enough to be press-resistant himself, much like Partey has proven to be.
