Arsenal star Thomas Partey is ready to follow the footsteps of Michael Essien and Yaya Toure in the English Premiership.
The two players who featured for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively are regarded among the best central midfielders in the Premier League era and Partey wants to emulate them
“I like to be both defensive and offensive. I know whenever I am in the opposite area, I have chances for a goal and I think defensively, I want to be stronger,” he told Sky Sports.
“I want to attack like Yaya Toure and defend like Michael Essien so to have both qualities is good.
“Whenever there is a serious game, or in any game, I like to go with surprises. Most people see me as a defensive midfielder but with my intelligence and how I read the game, if we’re near the end of the game and we’re going to finish with 2-0, that’s when I go for my goal.
“Playing in the midfield, you have to be mentally quick and be intelligent in how you position yourself and get the ball.
“Mikel [Arteta] is helping me a lot because we always have the ball so you have time to think and position yourself and I think with time, I’ll get used to everything and most things will come after that. I think everybody will know and we’ll see what will happen.” He added.
Partey was superb in the heart of Arsenal midfield on Sunday as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.