David Seaman delivers verdict on Arsenal’s new signing Thomas Partey

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David Seaman has told TalkSPORT (Friday, 9:15am) that he is hoping new Arsenal signing Thomas Partey can have a similar impact under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates – to that of Ivorian powerhouse Yaya Toure at Manchester City.

Partey, 27, was the story of deadline day. Heading into the final 24 hours of the window, Arsenal looked unlikely to bring the Ghana international to north London – but the Gunners then activated his £45million release clause with hours remaining.

A summer-long saga finally ended in the final hour of the window as Arsenal eventually confirmed the signing of Parety from Atletico Madrid. His addition delighted supporters, as he adds a huge missing piece in the Gunners jigsaw.

Arsenal invincible Seaman lauded the signing of Partey when asked about the midfielder on Friday, and stated that he believed Partey can have a similar impact of Patrick Vieira – or Toure at Manchester City.

“It is the sort of signing we need, a strong midfield player – he looks like that type pf player. We needed a midfielder that would strike fear, Patrick Vieira, Yaya Toure-like player. He has the quality to put fear into opposition players,” Seaman said.

TBR’s view – Partey comes in, but who is in Arsenal’s strongest midfield?

Mikel Arteta likes to use a back three with two holding midfielders in front of the back line, offering an extra layer of protection. That allows the Gunners to play with wing-backs, and use a three-man attack.

That three-man attack can either be two strikers with a number 10, or two slightly wider players either side of a number 10. In either system, Partey starts – probably alongside Granit Xhaka. If a 10 is used, Dani Ceballos comes in.