Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has already given Arsenal an outline of Thomas Partey's best qualities, after the midfielder completed a £45million move to north London.
The Atleti holding midfielder, who has established himself as one of Europe's top players in his position, was Mikel Arteta 's number one target as the Gunners boss eyed a transformative signing to strengthen the spine of his side.
Arsenal activated the Ghana international's release clause on Monday, before medical checks were made in Madrid. Partey then flew to London to complete the formalities of his move and put pen-to-paper on a four-year contract at the Emirates.
Partey's now former manager at the Wanda Metropolitano, Diego Simeone, has previously spoken about how versatile the midfielder is, and how to best utilise his abilities.
"Thomas is the one who best understands this position and the transition from defence to attack, shooting, scoring, providing assists and playing passes between the lines," Simeone said in June.
"When he's at his best level consistently, he's so good that all the best teams in Europe are looking at him."
Speaking after the deal was confirmed, Arsenal boss Arteta said: “We have been watching Thomas for a while, so we’re now delighted to add such a high quality player to our squad.
"He is a dynamic midfielder with great energy. He brings a lot of experience from a top club that has competed at the highest level in La Liga and the Champions League for several years.
"We’re very impressed with his attitude and his approach to the game.
"He’s an intelligent footballer and we’re looking forward to him integrating into our system and contributing to the progress we’re building at the moment at the club.”
Arsenal technical director Edu added: “Thomas has all the right attributes to be a top player for Arsenal. He is a leader on and off the pitch and he is exactly the kind of player and person we want at the club.
"We already feel like we know Thomas very well based on the work we have done analysing his performances closely in recent times.
"With his all-round game and positive aggressive style, he will be a brilliant addition to our squad.
"We’ve made a strong start to the season and we want to continue to build on this with Thomas now part of our club.”
