Partey – Ghana Football Fans

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised the qualities of midfielder Thomas Partey while stating that he could have played for either Manchester City or Manchester United. The Ghana international has developed through the ranks at the Madrid giants and he was recently central to their impressive 2-0 triumph over Getafe in the Spanish La Liga.

Speaking to reporters, Simeone was impressed with the showing of Partey in the centre of the park after influencing both first-half goals scored by Antonio Griezmann and Saul Niguez respectively. He added that the Ghanaian could have quite easily headed to the Premier League in another instance and rates him very highly within the club’s ranks.

Simeone: Partey could have played for Manchester City

“I liked Thomas today. He and Rodrigo [Hernandez Cascante] were great. I think he’s improving, Thomas is an amazing player. He could have played for Manchester City [or] Manchester United. We’re talking about a great player here. I rate him very highly,” he was quoted as saying following the 2-0 triumph over Getafe at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Partey initially made a slow start to the proceedings with the Madrid-based outfit but over the past 18 months, he has become more of a regular while shining in the central midfield role. In the current season, he has not been overly creative but he has nonetheless been a notable presence at the heart of the midfield while contributing two goals and four assists in the process.

During the recent winter transfer window, Partey was identified as one of the probable targets for Manchester City with Fernandinho approaching the final stages of his career and the Citizens may yet consider an approach when the season comes to a close. Partey, who is contracted to Atleti under June 2023, has made nearly 125 appearances for them across all competitions. He has also managed 17 caps with the Ghanaian national team.

Ghana favourite Michael Essien has backed Thomas Partey to take up the country’s leadership role on a permanent basis after making immense progress over the past few years. The midfielder has transformed into one of Atletico Madrid’s regulars over the last few seasons and Essien feels the 25-year-old is now ready to lead the national side on a permanent basis.

Speaking to TV3, the recently-retired midfielder is quoted as saying: “There are good players in the team but I think Partey is doing great and he can lead the team. He is doing wonderful with his Club and the National team as well, he
captained the team on a few occasions and I think he will be a good leader.”

Michael Essien backs Thomas Partey for permanent captaincy with Ghana

Partey has mostly featured for Atletico at the heart of the midfield but his added ability to play on the right side of the defence has made him a valuable asset for Diego Simeone. As such, the Capital outfit have regarded him highly and his efforts were rewarded with a fresh five-year contract earlier in the years.

Aside from“ Partey, Antoine Griezmann also penned a contract extension with Atleti prior to the World Cup and the upcoming campaign.“ will be interesting to watch, considering the club have made meaningful business this summer. Unlike in previous transfer windows, Atleti have shown some transfer ambition with nearly £100m spent and the upcoming campaign could make or break their prospects of keeping the core of the squad intact.

At present, Atleti are going through their pre-season and they are currently two games into the campaign after having featured against Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. They are now scheduled to face Stuttgart, Cagliari, and Inter Milan in the next 10 days before tackling cross-town rivals Real Madrid in the European Super Cup on August 15.