Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, believes Thomas Partey brings more presence and stability to the team.

The 29-year-old replaced Jorginho in Arsenal's win over Newcastle to extend their lead at the top of the English Premier League table.

Partey produced another masterful performance as Arsenal dominated the second half following a shaky first period.

Arteta hailed the spirited performance of Partey following his performance in the second half of the 4-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates.

“I’m really happy. It was a game that we had in hand against an opponent that we knew was going to make life really difficult for us, and we expected that at Goodison. We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do, allowing them to run in certain transitions, but after 25 minutes I think we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key,” said Arteta after the game.

“We needed a magic moment there and Alex and Bukayo produced that, and then I think the team grew, especially with Thomas because Jorginho wasn’t feeling good today. When he came on he really gave us some presence and stability to the team, and I think the second half was superb,” he added.

Partey was making just his second appearance after his injury in February.






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