Thomas Partey has reached an agreement with La Liga club Villarreal. The former Arsenal midfielder joins the Yellow Submarine as a free agent after being released by the North London Club.
According to The Metro, Villarreal have agreed on a one-year contract with Partey. Several clubs were keen to sign him, but the Spanish club won the race. He will be reunited with his former teammate Nicolas Pépé.
Arsenal and Partey were in serious negotiations before the end of last season. The Gunners were aiming to reduce his salary to accommodate incoming recruits. Mikel Arteta insisted on keeping the player, but they decided to part ways.
Nicknamed Octopus, Partey quickly captured Arsenal fans’ attention with his ability to dictate how Arsenal play. Although his career at Arsenal was disrupted by injuries, he was outstanding when fit.
In his time at the club, Partey contributed 9 goals and 7 assists in 167 appearances. His best performance came in the 2024/25 season. Of which he played 35 Premier League games, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists, while helping the team to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Following his departure, Arsenal have replaced the midfielder with the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and Christian Nørgaard from Brentford.
Right after his release, Thomas Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The player denied all counts.
The Ghanaian International is returning to La Liga after 5 years in England. He previously played for Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone.
His time at Atletico
Thomas Partey had a career to remember in Spain. With his incredible talent, Partey was an integral part of the Atletico’s squad. His manager at the time, Simeone, was visibly disappointed when the player decided to leave Metropolitano.
During the 2017/18 season, Thomas Partey and his team were crowned champions of the UEFA Europa League. Atletico played Marseille and won 3–0 in the finals at the Stade de Lyon in Lyon.
