The Transfer window is well and truly underway, and we have already seen plenty of clubs making big money signings, but what we want to do is have a look at some players who are very coveted by various big clubs, and we consider if there are cheaper, more sensible options available that should be looked at before spending big.
The second player we are looking at is Atlético Madrid’s 27 year old Ghana international, Thomas Partey, according to reports he is valued at £45 million by Atléti, and numerous clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United are chasing the defensive stalwart, but I want to see if there are any better, cheaper and especially younger options in that role that teams should maybe have a look at first.
Why do clubs want Partey?
Before we get into finding a possible alternative to Thomas Partey, we need to know what Partey specialises in, and what makes him so desirable. Despite showing real quality in previous seasons, the Ghanaian has proven this season that he is one of La Liga’s most proficient ball winners, in La Liga he has 3.4 combined tackles and interceptions per 90, a very impressive showing, and as the most exposed player in the team, the fact that he is dribbled past fewer than 1 times per 90 is very impressive indeed. On the ball, Partey is also very good indeed, he has 1.6 dribbles per 90 in La Liga, and he is second in Europe’s top 5 divisions for dribble success rate among players to attempt over 50 dribbles this season. Another primary asset of Thomas Partey is his phenomenal stamina, he made 1.4 clearances per 90 this season as well as a sizeable 8.2 ball recoveries, Thomas Partey is an absolute machine and the situation for Atléti this season has so often been, no Thomas, no Partey.
So what are we looking for?
In this case we are looking for players who have displayed similar defensive and dribbling numbers to Partey, who are preferably younger, and would cost less than £45 million, so we have quite the task on our hands, but I have found 4 players who fit this bill who clubs should perhaps consider before splashing the cash on Partey.
Manuel Locatelli, Sassuolo
Once again we look to the Neroverdi for an alternative to a much sought after player, Locatelli was said to be the next big thing while at Milan, where it never quite worked out for him, but he has since moved to Sassuolo where he has proven that he still has what it takes to make it at the top level.
Locatelli moved to AC Milan at the age of 11 from Atalanta where he impressed hugely in the youth ranks, earning himself a place in the first team at the age of just 17, he made his first team debut in the 2015/16 season against Carpi, and made his first start against Roma on the final day that season. Going into the following season, Locatelli was given a regular role in the squad, he majorly impressed that season, taking the place of Ricardo Montolivo who suffered a serious injury, his impressive performances in a deep role in midfield included scoring with his first two shots on target for the Rossoneri and earned him a 3 year contract extension, he ended up featuring 25 times in the league that season. However he was not trusted in the 2017/18 season, as they signed Lucas Biglia from Lazio and new head coach Gennaro Gattuso only saw him as a backup, and he only earned 652 minutes in Serie A that season. It got worse for him as Tiemoué Bakayoko joined the club on loan that season, slashing Locatelli’s confidence, so he joined Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy, meaning much of Italian football saw Locatelli’s future as one in Serie A mid table. That, however, seems not to be the case,a s now that he is starting regularly he has been excellent for Sassuolo, helping them to 11th and 8th place finishes.
This season especially, it seems like Locatelli is displaying the potential he showed in his early days at Milan, and he is still only 22 years old, 5 years younger than Partey, so he could still improve hugely, but how does he stack up compared to the Atlético Madrid man? Defensively, the pair have shown similar numbers, with Locatelli’s 2.3 tackles per 90 exceeding Partey’s 2 and his 1 interception less than Partey’s 1.4 per 90, like Partey, Locatelli is not dribbled past all that often, only 1.1 times per 90, only slightly more than Partey’s 0.9, so as a 22 year old it is impressive to see him comparing so well to one of the best defensive midfielders around. However, like Partey, Locatelli is brilliant on the ball, his 1.5 dribbles per 90 is slightly lower than Partey’s 1.6, but Locatelli’s 81% success rate is very impressive indeed, although it is not as good as Thomas Partey’s 88%, but at 22 years old, in a few years time I could see a world where Locatelli is able to replicate these numbers. That said, one thing that Locatelli has in abundance that Partey does not is creativity and good passing, Locatelli’s 64 passes per game with an 88% success rate is comfortably better than Partey, and he has 1.5 key passes per 90, with 5 assists this season, which is an aspect of his game that Thomas Partey simply does not possess, with Locatelli you may not get the dribbling excellence of Partey, but he is far better creatively, and in 3 or 4 years time, I could genuinely see a world where Locatelli exceeds Partey, a failed AC Milan talent he is not.
So possibly the most important question would be that of price, I have no doubt that Sassuolo would be willing to sell if offered the right price, which according to reports would likely be in the region of £25-30 million, which is less than Partey, and being 5 years younger than the Ghanaian this seems a more than reasonable price for a player who could well exceed Partey. I think that it would be great to see a big team take a risk on Manuel Locatelli, he is young and is showing all the signs of being a great player, and if a team is willing to take the risk, he could be a great alternative to Thomas Partey.
André-Franck Zambo Anguissa, Fulham
To those of whom who do not follow La Liga extensively, this next inclusion may come as a slight shock, as this is a player who was part of Fulham’s failed spending spree as they were relegated in the 2018/19 season, but on loan at Villarreal this season, he has been outstanding and helped the Yellow Submarine to 5th place in La Liga.
The Cameroon international spent the majority of his youth career at Stade de Reims, he moved to Marseille at the age of 20, ahead of the 2015/16 season, he played a bit part role that season, making just 9 appearances, but it was the next season where he really broke out, playing 33 times as Marseille came 5th in Ligue 1, his most impressive season in a Marseille shirt, however was the next one, Marseille narrowly missed out on Champions League football, but Anguissa played a crucial role as OM made the Europa league final, he started the final, but it ended in failure, as they fell to a comfortable defeat to an Atlético Madrid team featuring a certain Thomas Partey. That summer he made a club record move to newly promoted Fulham, this move was a failure on the whole as he looked reckless and fell victim to numerous injury issues, and despite some impressive performances toward the end of the campaign, he couldn’t prevent Fulham’s relegation back to the second tier. On their relegation, Zambo was loaned out to La Liga outfit Villarreal, and he has starred there, and with them not willing to pay the required fee for Anguissa, the 24 year old could be on the market this summer.
Simply put, Anguissa has been one of La Liga’s best midfielders this season, and has been arguably Villarreal’s best player in a successful season as they came 5th, achieving European football. His defensive stats stack up reasonably well with Partey’s with 2.1 tackles similar to Partey’s 2 and his 1.2 interceptions not far off Partey’s 1.4, despite this, Anguissa is dribbled past much more often than Partey, which is one of Partey’s most impressive assets, with Anguissa dribbled past 1.4 times per 90 this season, compared to Partey’s 0.9, although Anguissa has tended to play higher up the pitch than Partey. I would say that Anguissa is a far more similar player to Partey than Locatelli, like Partey Anguissa’s creative numbers are nothing much to shout about, with neither of the pair registering any assists last season, and them both having just half a key pass per 90 this season, but like Partey, Anguissa’s dribbling is absolutely outstanding. His 2.4 dribbles per 90 far exceed’s Partey, and puts him 4th in La Liga, more remarkably, his 83% success rate is the best of La Liga’s top 10, and not far off Partey, but surely the fact that he dribbles more often than Partey makes up for the slight deficit in success. Anguissa has has a remarkable season for the Yellow Submarine and has more or less turned his career around, but what the next step is for him is a very interesting question to pose.
There is hope, however, for Fulham fans (like myself) that Anguissa may stay at the club after their promotion back to the premier league. Reports suggest that Fulham are holding out for £30 million for Anguissa, so that he does not end up a total failure of an investment if they do sell, however I think that the most likely outcome is that Zambo stays for at least another season at the club to help them stay in the Premier League. That said, I think it would be a good investment for any team looking for a player like Partey, he would be slightly cheaper, and 3 years younger, and has shown that the relegation on his CV does not reflect his ability, he would be an excellent alternative to Partey.
Ibrahim Sangaré, Toulouse
Following on from Anguissa we have another player who has a relegation to his name, in Ibrahim Sangaré, he is a man who always seems to be linked with big moves, surely now with Toulouse’s relegation to Ligue 2 this will be the summer for the Ivorian.
Ibrahim Sangaré spent most of his youth career at AS Denguélé in his native Ivory coast before moving to Toulouse in 2016 at the age of 19, he made his debut that year against Angers and went on to play 4 more times that season, 2017/18, however was his breakout season at Toulouse, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-3 draw with Monaco, he impressed from deep that season with his monstrous defensive numbers and impressive dribbling capabilities, drawing comparisons to the great Patrick Vieira. This form continued into the 2018/19 season where he helped Toulouse once again stay up by the skin of their teeth, and he started to be linked to big clubs such as Manchester United, but now, after a horrible season for Toulouse, finishing bottom of Ligue 1 and being relegated, the 22 year old will surely want out this summer.
Unsurprisingly, despite Les Violets’ relegation, Sangaré has once again shone for them. His defensive numbers trump Partey’s this season, with his 3.4 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per 90 far better than Partey’s 2 and 1.4 respectively, although it is worth considering that Sangaré played for the worst defence and worst team in Ligue 1 last season, so he is always going to have pretty sizeable defensive numbers, he is also very raw, and one of his drawbacks compared to Partey is the fact that he is dribbled past 1.6 times per 90, far more than Partey’s 0.9, although it is again maybe due to the fact that he plays for a team who are almost always under pressure from their opponents, but either way, with him being just 22, he has plenty of years ahead of him to improve that aspect of his game. Sangaré is actually more creative than Partey, and he is also showing promise in the dribbling department, with his 1.2 dribbles not bad, with his 81% dribble success rate again stacking up well with Partey’s with years ahead of him to further improve that aspect of his game. Nobody can be surprised at this point that Sangaré would be a great Partey alternative, and with Toulouse’s relegation, surely there is no better time to pounce than now.
As previously stated, at this age, you are unlikely to find a midfielder of this caliber for cheaper than Ibrahim Sangaré, due to Toulouse’s relegation, I am sure that the 22 year old wants to leave the club, and the club could certainly use the money that they would receive from his sale, reports suggest that he could be available for around £20 million and considering he is 5 years younger than Partey, and is almost as good as him already, I think it would be a no-brainer for a team looking for a defensive midfielder of Partey’s ilk to go in for Ibrahim Sangaré.
Abdou Harroui, Sparta Rotterdam
Of all the players on this list, Sparta Rotterdam’s Abdou harroui is the least similar to our main man Thomas Partey. As promised here we have our player who plays outside Europe’s top 5 leagues, and it is a player who has seemingly flown massively under the radar this season. The 22 year old has impressed for Sparta, as they comfortably survived in the Eredivise and could be an interesting option for a big club.
The young Dutchman has spent more or less his whole career at Sparta Rotterdam, joining their youth setup at the age of 16 in 2014. He spent a period at the start of his career playing in the Dutch Tweede Divise with the Sparta youth team, before being promoted to the senior team to play in the Dutch second tier, helping Sparta Rotterdam earn promotion to the Eredivise, he impressed from deep at that level, playing 35 games in the league that season, registering 4 goals and an assist. This season, however has been his real breakout year, not only showing his attacking prowess with 4 goals and 8 assists this season, he has proven to be excellent on the ball, and hard in the tackle, and at 22 years of age, he looks like a real talent.
As he is playing in the Eredivise, despite the fact he is 5 years younger than Partey, for him to be a proper alternative to Partey, he needs pretty great stats at that level, and that is exactly what he does have. His 3 tackles per 90 far exceed Partey, although he is behind in interceptions, with 0.7 compared to Partey’s 1.4 per 90, although his total defensive actions are more than the Ghanaian’s, considering his age, and the fact that he plays for a bottom half Eredivise team, the fact that Harroui is only beaten in a take on 1.2 times per 90 compared to Partey’s 0.9 is still pretty decent. That said, Harroui dwarfs Partey in every attacking metric, even the one which Partey is best known for. Harroui dribbles a huge 2.4 times per 90, a whopping 0.8 more times than the Atlético Madrid man, he also takes 1 more shot per 90 and makes 0.6 more key passes per 90, with his 8 assists showing how good he is creatively, he also possesses the useful skill of long-range shooting which is not something that Partey in known for.
Abdou Harroui would likely be a cheap investment that a club has a try with, while I would not say that he is nearly the best option of the bunch, I find it unlikely that you would have to pay over £10 million to get his signature, especially considering the cancellation of the Eredivise this season. I think that it would be a cheap, low risk investment but I would not necessarily suggest that a team should go all out for him instead of Partey, as Harroui is somewhat of an unknown quantity.
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