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Atletico Madrid angry with Arsenal over Partey's deal
Partey was a key part of Simeone's plans at the Wanda Metropolitano this term, but the club were powerless to keep hold of him after Arsenal swooped in with a £45million deal in the final minutes of deadline day.
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According to Libertad Digital, the Argentine was so certain the Ghanaian midfielder was going to stay at Atletico, he had discussed tactical plans with his own deadline-day arrival - Lucas Torreira - who had arrived on loan from the Emirates Stadium.
The Spanish club have also reportedly been left angered by the way Arsenal acquired Partey.
The Gunners did not tell Atletico they would activate Partey's £45m release clause, leaving the Spanish club furious, according to AS.
In fact, Atletico only found out Arsenal had met the contract demands 32 minutes before the transfer deadline on Monday night.
Atletico's statement on their official website 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 June 30, 2023.'
Despite Partey having been a long-time target for Arsenal, his late switch was one of the surprises of the day with the Gunners' valuation of the player having previously been below the release clause.
They had even been in discussions in a deal with the Spanish side for weeks prior to Monday, without much breakthrough in the hopes of a transfer.
It is believed Partey's wages at Arsenal are around £250,000 a week and a £1.8m signing on fee could be included.
According to ESPN, he has put pen to paper on a four-year-deal with an option for a further year having made 188 appearances across five years in Spain.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told the club's official website: 'We have been watching Thomas for a while, so we're now delighted to add such a high quality player to our squad. He is a dynamic midfielder with great energy.
'He brings a lot of experience from a top club that has competed at the highest level in La Liga and the Champions League for several years.
'We're very impressed with his attitude and his approach to the game. He's an intelligent footballer and we're looking forward to him integrating into our system and contributing to the progress we're building at the moment at the club.'