Thomas Partey's spokesperson has refuted claims from the midfielder's father that the 27-year-old was waiting for a 'bigger team' than Arsenal.
The Ghana international sealed a move from Atletico Madrid to Arsenal on transfer deadline day last week after the Gunners activated his £45 million release clause.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was understandably keen to land Partey, with the midfielder establishing himself as one of the finest players in his position across Europe.
His performances for Atletico attracted attention from major clubs, including Juventus and Chelsea, but it was Arsenal who swooped to seal a deal ahead of their rivals.
Discussing the interest from the other two sides, the midfielder's father, Jacob Partey, recently told My Joy Online : "We actually weren’t disturbed by anything because we hoped a bigger team will come for Partey.
"We were aware of the [other teams that were interested]: Juventus, Chelsea and so forth.
"So through all of this we knew God was with us. From that minute we started to dance to ‘Party after Party’.
“What I [noticed] was that he was willing to play where there is Champions League [football] but [I suggested to him that] can’t he be where there is no Champions League and help them get into the Champions League?"
Despite Partey's father's admission, the midfielder's spokesperson Samuel Zigah took to social media to put the record straight.
An Arsenal supporter tweeted Zigah regarding the reported interest from Chelsea, and whether the claims of his preference for a supposed 'bigger team' were true.
"Hi Samuel, a lot of Chelsea fans are talking loud about how Thomas’ father wanted him to go to Chelsea. Can you please put an end to this rubbish?"
To which Zigah replied: "Kindly ignore," along with a smiling face emoji.
Partey could make his debut for Arsenal in their first match back after the international break when they make the trip to The Etihad to face Manchester City.
The midfielder played for Ghana in their 5-1 friendly win over Qatar on Monday evening, and is expected back at the Gunners' London Colney training base on Wednesday.
