Francis Cagigao delivers verdict on new Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey

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Former Arsenal senior scout Francis Cagigao believes Gunners fans can look forward to Thomas Partey with the ‘shackles off’, ahead of the player’s likely debut against Manchester City.

The 51-year-old recently left Arsenal following a 23-year stint at the north Londoners, and is often credited for having brought some of Arsenal’s best-ever players to the club, such as Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Santi Cazorla.

He may no longer be at the club, but Cagigao did play a key role in the Gunners’ identification of Partey and the club’s ultimate success in bringing him in.

The hype is huge over the Ghanaian enforcer, and Cagigao has been speaking about his parting gift to the club.

He told the Guardian: “At Almería, Thomas was different to the player we’ve seen at Atlético: more advanced, more box-to-box, attacking.

“I think we’ll see a Thomas Partey with the shackles off. He played in a constricted midfield unit [at Atlético] where it was all about positional play; now he might add things to his game that we haven’t seen much, bar with Ghana.

“He’s a player we pursued for a long time and strongly recommended, a great addition, a prototype we didn’t have. He could be the final piece to the jigsaw that makes Arsenal challenge for the title.”

Partey is in contention to make his debut for Arsenal on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.

TBR’s View – A playmaker as well as an enforcer?

Cagigao’s comments are sure to increase the excitment even more for Arsenal fans.

Primarily Partey is known for his defensive work in midfield, but the idea he can also bring playmaking qualities is a huge.

All the signs are fantastic ahead of the 27-year-old’s debut, he now just needs to justify all the hype – and he seems well placed to do just that.