Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant heaped bundles of praise on Thomas Partey following his move to Arsenal last October - and maybe now finally those words are ringing true.
Partey was imperious in his side's 1-0 victory over Chelsea last night, the Gunners' first win at Stamford Bridge since October 2011. The 27-year-old utilised his impressive close control and mazy dribbling attributes to evade Chelsea's high energy pressing style to perfection.
However, Partey's short time in North London hasn't always gone to plan. The former Atletico Madrid star has suffered from constant injury problems, issues that have seen him miss 14 of Arsenal's 36 league games this season.
His fitness problems have also resulted in some erratic displays, most notably a sloppy passing performance in a disappointing 0-0 draw with Villarreal that saw Arsenal crash out of the Europa League last week.
Last night illustrated that Partey does have a lot to offer the Premier League and his statistics back this up. The Ghanaian managed the most ball recoveries, tackles and interceptions on the field last night, according to Squawka, and his scintillating display proved his former national team manager Grant right.
“From the first time I watched him, I saw a player who was very strong and good on the ball, who understands the game very well,” Grant told The Sun back in October.
"Even when he was relatively young and inexperienced, he knew what he needed to do in terms of possession and position, how to get in the right place at the right time.
"But he’s also a very good boy, on and off the pitch, with a great character. He wants to do his job and he is very consistent. Thomas doesn’t tend to have good days and bad days because you know every match what you will get from him, which is his best for the team."
