Thomas Partey‘s father Jacob claims he was unsurprised by his son’s Deadline Day move to Arsenal, with building interest from Chelsea and Juventus.
The Gunners triggered his release clause on Monday, following months of Atletico Madrid insisting that he would not be sold for any less than the £45 Million written into his contract.
His former club are reported to have been frustrated by Arsenal’s move, having become confident that we were not willing to pay his fee in full, before being powerless to stop him from moving clubs.
His father Jacob however wasn’t shocked, knowing that interest from Juventus and Chelsea would see things progress.
“We actually weren’t disturbed by anything because we hoped a bigger team will come for Partey,” Partey’s Dad told MyJoyOnline.
“We were aware of the [other teams that were interested: Juventus, Chelsea and so forth. So about all these we knew God was with us. From that minute we started to dance to ‘Party after Party’.”
The 27 year-old is now expected to make his debut for Arsenal against Premier League giants Manchester City, in a match which will see his new manager take on his former mentor.
Arteta got the better of his counterpart in the FA Cup semi-final last season, and will be hoping to cause another upset at the Etihad in five days time.
What do we think was the reason for waiting until Deadline Day to trigger his clause? Could we have been analyzing our finances or more eyeing alternative midfield solutions instead?
Patrick