Arsenal's new-found ruthlessness on the pitch was matched off of it when they scrambled to sign Thomas Partey on transfer deadline day.
Partey is a player who has been on the Gunners' radar from 2014, as confirmed by former head of recruitment Francis Cagigao in his recent interview with football.london, yet it was Arsenal's struggles to offload players over the summer which forced them to pay the release clause at La Liga headquarters in full.
They searched for a workaround over several months to avoid stumping up £45million in cash for Partey, which included a number of informal talks over player swaps to reduce the final fee. Lucas Torreira's season-long loan move was sealed before Arsenal went in for Partey, and it's now public knowledge that Atletico Madrid are disillusioned with the north Londoners approach for the Ghana midfielder.
Atleti's anger is now Arsenal's happiness. Mikel Arteta has a player at his disposal who provides him with an array of tactical options in midfield. 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 appear to be the predominant formations that the Spaniard will interchange throughout the campaign, but he admitted himself after Partey's arrival that the 27 year old's versatility can breathe new life into the team.
"I think he allows us to play different formations," said Arteta.
"He can fit within those formations in different positions. He is going to give us a little bit more adaptability."
Manchester City pose a unique test for Partey although it should be said that Pep Guardiola's side go into Saturday's match off the back of a 5-2 defeat to Leicester - a game which showcased the counter-attacking nature of the Premier League and could play into Partey's hands if he starts at the Etihad.
The absence of Kevin de Bruyne in City's midfield should give Arteta even more reason to play Partey on Saturday. When you consider what the Belgian offers in the final third as Guardiola's most important player it means Partey will have even more freedom to roam around without having to be concerned about the creativity of the 29-year-old. Admittedly, City are able to welcome back Bernando Silva from injury and still boast one of the league's most fierce attacks, but it can only be seen as a boost for Arsenal that de Bruyne misses out.
"Today he will have his first training session," Arteta told reports on Wednesday.
"So everything has to come really quickly for him. We knew that before we signed him that he is fit, he is very willing to start playing and we will see how he goes in the next few days.
“I have seen the buzz around the place, the fans are really happy, I have seen some really positive reactions after we bought him, the same with the team, the squad and the staff. I think he is a player we had the radar on for a long time and we have managed to bring him in and I think he will be a really important addition to the team."
While some players take longer than others to settle in the Premier League, there should be little hesitance to field Partey in the starting XI against City. His impressive skillset and dribbling ability will give Arsenal a new dimension which they've lacked in key games this season.
Only Atletico winger Vitolo averaged more successful dribbles than him per 90 minutes in La Liga last season and the likes of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe are almost certainly going to flourish with such a player in the team.
It's up to Partey to prove his worth at Arsenal but he has the full backing of his manager and the fans on his side already creating songs for him. Saturday could be exactly the right time to get the Partey started.
