Thomas Partey could have unleashed Mesut Ozil.. it’s a shame Arsenal can’t play them together, says Paul Merson

THOMAS PARTEY could have unleashed the best of Mesut Ozil, according to Paul Merson.

And the Arsenal legend says it is a shame the Gunners now cannot play them together.

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Mikel Arteta was desperate to add a star name to his midfield this summer, with Partey and Houssem Aouar targeted.

After months of failed negotiations, Arsenal were forced to trigger Partey’s £45million release clause on deadline day.

And Merson has claimed he still can’t believe Arteta was able to land the former Atletico Madrid man so cheaply, calling him a ‘steal’.

Merson told Sky Sports: “They’ve got that player now [in Partey].

“Before you looked and you thought ‘not good enough in midfield’.

“You’ve got Xhaka and whoever it might be playing with him.

“They haven’t got that pass, and they play deep, and it’s just workman-like.

“I can’t speak highly enough of [Partey].

“When they said Partey looks like he’s going to Arsenal for £45m, I thought ‘am I missing a trick here?’

“He could play for anyone, I look at Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool…

“I can’t speak highly enough of him, it’s an absolute steal for Arsenal.”

But has been left disappointed by one aspect of Arteta’s work in the summer – the exclusion of Ozil from the list of players eligible to play in the Premier League and Europa League.

The German playmaker, 32, has long been on the periphery of the Arsenal squad and has now been totally frozen out.

But Merson believes Partey could have brought out the best in Ozil, with his ability opening up space for the ex-Real Madrid star to thrive.

Merson added: “It’s a shame that Ozil can’t play because I think [Partey] opens up the space for him.”