Former Ghana international urges Thomas Partey to remain in La Liga

Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has advised Thomas Partey to stay put in the Spanish La Liga rather than pursuing a move to England or Italy. The 26-year-old has developed into a key player for Atletico Madrid over the past few years but reports have emerged that he could favour a move to Arsenal at the end of the season.

Speaking to Ocean 1 TV, Lamptey said that Partey should continue his trade in the Spanish top-flight rather than making the move to either England or Italy where he made struggle to adapt to the style of play, he told: “There are numerous offers coming for Thomas Teye Partey but his career will take a nosedive if he doesn’t choose his next move well.

“I will advise him to stay in Spain rather than going to England or Italy [although there are offers from Manchester United and Arsenal according to reports]. Per style of play, he can move within Spain and join another top club rather than focusing on the financial gains to move out of the country because that can be suicidal. Sometimes, decision making can destroy your career. My move to England was a wrong one for me.”

Partey currently has a release clause worth £43.5m on his contract and he has been reluctant to put pen-to-paper on a new contract with Atletico Madrid. That has apparently caught the attention of the Gunners and reports have recently emerged that the midfielder would favour a move to the Emirates Stadium during the summer.

Arsenal are aiming to land Partey as a potential replacement for Lucas Torreira, who has been fancied to return to the Serie A. At present, the Gunners don’t have the necessary funds to trigger the player’s release clause and there are suggestions that they could propose a straight-swap deal with Alexandre Lacazette moving in the opposite direction. Atletico have been long-term admirers of Lacazette.