Posted by New Arsenal signee Thomas Partey has disclosed that he couldn’t sleep the night he found out that he was joining Arsenal.
The Ghanaian midfielder was linked with Arsenal throughout the summer transfer window. However, a dream move to Arsenal had to wait until the final day, he joined Arsenal for €50m and in the process became the most expensive Ghanaian footballer.
“Well, until the last moment I was not aware,” Partey told Arsenal.com. “My agent called me and said it was going to happen, and I was so happy. I could not even sleep that night – it was a great feeling.”
“I was so happy, I was excited. I was not even here yet and [the fans] were crazy over me, they wanted me to join the club. I received a lot of messages saying, ‘Join the club or we are not sleeping!’ – it was a great feeling.”
Partey went on to divulge how he used to watch Arsenal as a youngster, how the Invincibles won his heart, that of many football lovers and some Arsenal players he grew up idolizing.
“I feel so great, excited, it is something that makes me feel great, makes me feel important and it is a great feeling to be here,” Partey told Arsenal.com.
“I have followed Arsenal for a long time. When we were young we used to watch so many games, when they had the Invincibles season in 2004, they were so great. That is when they won the hearts of so many people.
“There were a lot of great players [here at the club] before. Ian Wright was here, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp was one of the greatest, and that season was great.”
Thomas Partey left a clear message to the Arsenal fanbase, stating that he is determined to take the club back to the summit of the game, but admits that it will not happen overnight.
“I feel so happy, I already feel part of the family because the fans have received me, everybody is saying nice things about me and, you know, to be received like this is a great feeling,” Partey told Arsenal.com.
“This a great club, it is one of the biggest clubs in Europe and it is a club that deserves to be aspiring for greater things and I think it doesn’t happen in a day, we have to work hard to make sure we are back to where we belong.
“I want to make everyone feel happy.”
Thomas Partey will wear the jersey number 18 at Arsenal.