Arsenal: Thomas Partey pens emotional farewell letter to Atletico Madrid fans after completing £45m move
‘I want to thank the club for the trust placed in me from day one, but above all, I want to thank you’
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Your support makes all the difference.Thomas Partey penned an emotional farewell letter to Atletico Madrid’s supporters after completing his £45m move to Arsenal with just minutes to spare on transfer deadline day.
Partey had been Arsenal’s first-choice target heading into the summer window, although doubts had remained over whether the Gunners could afford to trigger the 27-year-old’s release clause.
Loan exits for Lucas Torreira, who moved in the opposite direction, and Matteo Guendouzi saw Arsenal make a dramatic late move, though, after an approach for Lyon captain Houssem Aouar was rejected.
Partey, a Ghana international, joined Atletico as a teenager in 2011 and broke into the first team four years later, becoming a key player under Diego Simeone.
In a message on Instagram, Partey wrote: “Dear Atletico fans, today I only have words of gratitude with you. For several years now, Atletico Madrid has been my home and a part of this family will always be with me.
“I want to thank the club for the trust placed in me from day one, but above all, I want to thank you, this wonderful hobby that I accepted from the first moment and that has shown that it is both in good times and in bad times and you never truly stop believing. Atletico Madrid is not just a club, it is a family. Thank you.”
Atletico were reportedly left furious by Arsenal’s late move for Partey, having only been notified that the Gunners had triggered the midfielder’s release clause when the money was deposited with La Liga late on Monday evening.
Atletico’s statement read: “LaLiga informed Atletico de Madrid at 11.28pm on Monday that Arsenal representatives have paid Thomas Partey’s release clause at the sports association’s headquarters.
“The player has therefore unilaterally terminated his contract with our club, which ran until 30 June, 2023.”
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