Partey time? Hold on a minute

Deadline day provided Arsenal fans with another night to remember as Arsenal left it late to secure the services of Thomas Partey.

After coming off second best in Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas’ display of transfer window brinkmanship, it looked momentarily as if the high-profile signing they so craved might elude them.

However, the Gunners struck late, activating the Ghanaian’s £45 million release clause to send the Arsenal faithful into delirium.

The acquisition of Partey has generated huge optimism amongst Arsenal fans. A key member of Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid team, the Ghanaian midfielder’s profile is the kind Arsenal have struggled to fill since the departure of Patrick Vieira.

They will hope the 27-year-old can breathe new life into a midfield crying out for his ball-winning ability, technical grace and dynamism. While not explicitly a creative player, it is likely that Partey improves Arsenal going forward. Not only will he provide much-needed ball progression from midfield thanks to an expansive passing range and bursts forward from midfield, he will also offer greater balance to a team overly dependent on its left side.

Perhaps most importantly, he will enable the transition to Arteta’s preferred 4-3-3, a formation better suited to break down more defensively minded teams by accommodating a more attack minded central midfielder. But the extent to which he improves the team’s glaring creative deficiencies remains to be seen.

The lengthy pursuit of Houssem Aouar demonstrated Arteta’s eagerness to add a creative player to his side that has averaged an xG of just 1.36 in their opening four league games. The failure to do so leaves Arsenal without an obvious candidate for this role, a predicament which may well see them come unstuck.

Any hopes of a Mesut Özil return were all but crushed with his omission from Arsenal’s 25-man Europa League squad, especially after his unlikely display of solidarity with a redundant green dinosaur.

That leaves Willian, Dani Ceballos or Bukayo Saka as the most likely candidates to operate as the most advanced midfielder. While each has his undoubted merits, it would be premature to suggest that any of them is nailed on to excel in the role.

For all Partey’s strengths, expecting him to unleash Arsenal’s attacking potential might be a little farfetched.

The absence of an established, creative player ahead of him continues to represent a serious impediment to Arteta’s continued quest for a more effective attack.