Thomas Partey challenged to bring his A-game consistently at Arsenal

Ghana star Thomas Partey is finally finding his feet at Arsenal but has been challenged to bring his A-game more consistently following a brilliant display in the Gunners’ impressive 2-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday.

Partey, who will captain Ghana against Nigeria later this month in the 2022 World Cup playoff, was by far the best player on the field in the Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

He headed in the opener after the Leicester players left him unmarked in the box and then he hit the post to end an excellent first half.

Partey returned from the break more determined and it was no surprise that he won the penalty which was converted by captain Alexander Lacazette to seal the morale-boosting win as Arsenal remain in strong contention for Champions League for the first time in 2016.

Before the match, Partey was presented with the Arsenal Player of the Month award for February, and he was widely praised for being outstanding against the Foxes, who featured Ghanaian Daniel Amartey in defence.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also hailed his midfielder in a post-match interview. Arteta said he was always confident that with more time and experience the 28-year-old would begin to prove his worth at the Emirates and now wants to see him doing it on a regular basis.

The Spaniard said: "You could see he was voted player of the month last month and he's come a long way, he has the consistency and the minutes, he understands what we want much better.

"I think his cohesion and understanding with the rest of the players is getting better and better and now it is about consistency and to keep doing it."

It has not been easy for the Ghanaian since he arrived from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020, with injury disrupting his first season.

The 28-year-old spent this summer staying in England, getting fit, but then injured his ankle in a friendly against Chelsea and missed the first three league matches.

The Black Stars deputy now feels physically at his best and off the pitch, he is settled too. Over the past year, he has moved out of rented accommodation and bought his own apartment.

The holding midfielder has two goals and one assist for Arsenal this season.