Revealed: How Unai Emery came close to signing Thomas Partey at Arsenal

The Spanish coach was desperate to sign Partey, Harry Maguire and Wilfried Zaha before the start of the current season.

This was revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein in his “Ornstein on Monday: What’s Going On At Your Club” column.

In the article, Ornstein said Partey’s release clause – which stands at €50 million – scuppered the midfielder’s move from Atletico Madrid to Arsenal.

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He explained that the Arsenal hierarchy deemed Partey “too’ expensive and therefore called off the move in order to prioritise the signing of a winger.

“… Partey was apparently desperate for a move to the Emirates Stadium, however, a 50 million euro release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract was too expensive for Arsenal because they were committing the bulk of the resources to bringing in a wide player,” Ornstein wrote.

Meanwhile, Emery has since been sacked by Arsenal after overseeing a series of poor results.

Partey, on the other hand, has been in imperious form this season, having nailed down a place in the Atletico Madrid first team.

The Ghanaian midfielder already has two goals and an assist in all competitions this season.