Former Aston Villa player Nii Lamptey has advised compatriot and Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey against making a move to Arsenal.
The 26-year-old is subject of serious transfer speculation, having been linked to Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Italian teams Juventus and Inter Milan are also reportedly interested in his signature.
“There are numerous offers coming for Thomas Partey but his career will take a nosedive if he doesn’t choose his next move well,” Lamptey, who joined Villa on loan from Anderlecht in the 1994-95 campaign and made only six Premier League appearances, told Ocean 1 TV.
“The country and league he will pick will determine his future. I would advise him to stay in Spain rather than going to England or Italy.
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“Per style of play, he can move within Spain and join another top club rather than focusing on the financial gains to move out of the country because that can be suicidal.
“Sometimes, decision making can destroy your career. My move to England was a wrong one for me. Aston Villa was a wrong move because their style of play was not going to suit me. If I had gone to France or Spain at that time, it would have helped my career more than going to England.”
Partey signed for Atletico from Ghana in 2011. After time in the Rojiblancos’ youth set-up, he spent time on loan at Real Mallorca and Almeria before moving to the senior team at his parent club in 2015-2016.
This season, the Ghanaian has made 24 league appearances, starting 21 of the games and scoring two goals.
Thomas Partey is a player who has been on the gunners’ radar for a while now.
There was some interest in him last summer window, and some informal talks took place to see if a transfer move could be possible, but the fee was deemed too high and the he was settled at Atletico.
Atletico Madrid are well aware of the interest, as are Thomas Partey’s representatives and so is the midfielder’s father.
Speaking on the Ghana-based radio station Tru FM, Jacob Partey said: “I called my son after hearing the rumours and he told me that the rumours are true. He told me they are holding talks between him and Arsenal. It all depends on the offer Atletico are demanding.
“If he goes to Arsenal, fine, they have a lot of supporters in Ghana. I will be happy if he decides to move to Arsenal. What they are discussing now is how Atletico will release him.”
