Arsenal Lands Thomas Partey on Deadline Day of Hits and Misses Across Europe

Arsenal spent big to pry Partey from Atletico Madrid, but deadline day was as much about who didn't move as it was about who did across the upper echelon of Europe's club scene.

Transfer deadline day has come and gone across Europe, and while it was certainly notable for the many players that did change clubs, it was equally noteworthy for who stayed put.

Thomas Partey's final-hour transfer from Atletico Madrid to Arsenal–which sent Lucas Torreira the other way on loan–was the headliner, with the Gunners triggering his $59 million release clause to pry him free from the Spanish capital before signing him to a deal through 2025. It's a substantial investment for Arsenal in a 27-year-old midfielder who will be expected to perform at an elite level for a side hoping to return to the Premier League's upper echelon under the guidance of a former midfield star, Mikel Arteta. 

“He is a dynamic midfielder with great energy,” Arteta said. “He’s an intelligent footballer, and we’re looking forward to him integrating into our system.”

Arsenal made even more room in the midfield by offloading Matteo Guendouzi on loan to Hertha Berlin.

Other notable moves Monday included Juventus's signing (two-year loan, with an obligation to buy) of 22-year-old rising Italian star Federico Chiesa, whose father, Enrico, played with Gianluigi Buffon–who is now Federico's teammate. Another multi-year reigning league champion, Bayern Munich, also added reinforcements, bolstering its attack by bringing back Douglas Costa on loan from Juve, signing ex-PSG forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and adding right back depth in Marseille's Bouna Sarr (a move that could spell the end of 20-year-old American center back Chris Richards's short stint at the position).

For weeks, the talk surrounding Manchester United has been about its pursuit of English winger Jadon Sancho, but Dortmund's refusal to budge allowed the transfer window to expire without a saga of any sort on deadline day. United did make some moves, including a pair that had been long-expected. Porto left back Alex Telles and ex-PSG (and free agent) forward Edinson Cavani are headed to Old Trafford, where fellow new signing Donny van de Beek has been for a month. They'll all be joined, eventually, by 18-year-old Atalanta and Ivory Coast winger Amad Traore, who has an agreement to join the club and will likely do so in the winter. Another 18-year-old winger, Facundo Pellistri, is on his way to Man United from Peñarol, with the club using deadline day to build for both the present and the future.

One player not going to Old Trafford, though, is Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona failed to find a way to offload the French winger, and that had a knock-on effect on its other transfer plans. Despite having an agreement with Memphis Depay and Lyon to complete a transfer, Barça could not clear the space needed to afford the Dutch forward. Lyon also managed to hang onto Houssem Aouar, the in-demand central midfielder who was reportedly a top Arsenal target.

Barça was able to find a new home for French center back Jean-Clair Todibo, sending him to Benfica on a two-year loan, but the club was unable to secure his anticipated replacement, Man City's Eric Garcia. The former Barcelona youth product was caught in a negotiating war in the final hours, and Man City did not relent. He could still join the club in the January window or for free next summer, when his contract expires.

That leaves Barcelona, at least for the next few months, in an odd spot, in that the club did manage to shed plenty of financial baggage this window but couldn't secure the full complement of replacements for new manager Ronald Koeman.

Barcelona's rival, Real Madrid, remained silent, embracing its role as a seller this summer. Gareth Bale (Tottenham) and James Rodriguez (Everton) were shown the door at last, and Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham) and Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan) were offloaded as well. Martin Odegaard has been recalled after his loan to Real Sociedad, but otherwise it's oddly quiet at the Bernabeu, with Florentino Perez betting on Zinedine Zidane to get the most out of the squad as is, perhaps as a prelude to a massive Galactico-like splash next summer, when things are presumably on more stable ground from both a global health and financial standpoint.

In terms of Americans on the move, there was no more business to be done. DeAndre Yedlin, out of contract at Newcastle at the end of the summer, will be staying put, while rising talents Richards and Konrad de la Fuente will be sticking it out at Bayern and Barcelona, respectively, in hopes of either securing first-team time or furthering their progress on the reserve squads. Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht, on loan from Chelsea), Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Ulysses Llanez (Heerenveen, on loan from Wolfsburg) and Sebastian Soto (Telstar, on loan from Norwich City) had previously secured their moves for the season. One to watch for the winter, however, is Brenden Aaronson, with RB Salzburg's general manager confirming the Philadelphia Union standout midfield will be linking up with the club come January.

As for the big moves of the day:

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DONE DEADLINE DAY DEALS

• Arsenal isn't known for splashing the cash, but it did so with a few minutes to spare, paying Thomas Partey's $59 million release clause. It also sent Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira on loan to Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season. In a separate move, Arsenal sent midfielder Matteo Guendouzi on loan to Hertha Berlin. (Atletico Madrid | Atletico Madrid | Hertha Berlin)

• Manchester United has a new left back after landing Alex Telles from Porto. The club has also offloaded a defender, sending Chris Smalling on a permanent move to Roma ($17.7 million plus add-ons) after his loan last season. (Manchester United | Manchester United)

• Man United bolstered its attack as well, with the signing of free agent forward Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan veteran will surely relish the chance to face his former side, PSG, in the Champions League group stage after United was drawn with the French champions. It's a one year deal with an option for a second. (Manchester United)

• In a pair of moves for the future, Man United has signed 18-year-old Ivorian and Atalanta winger Amad Traore and 18-year-old Uruguayan and Peñarol winger Facundo Pellistri. The former is expected to join the club in the winter in a move that will reportedly cost $47.1 million plus add-ons. The latter, meanwhile, has signed his five-year deal. (Manchester United | Manchester United)

• Justin Kluivert has signed with RB Leipzig on loan from Roma for the rest of the season. (Roma)

• Juventus has signed Federico Chiesa on a two-year loan from Fiorentina with an obligation to buy. The reported fee is $58.8 million. (Fiorentina)

• Barcelona has loaned French defender Jean-Clair Todibo to Benfica for the next two seasons, a move that reportedly will not be followed by a subsequent signing of Eric Garcia despite the player's wish to leave Man City for his former youth club. The loan comes with an option to buy for $23.6 million, while Benfica will pay Barcelona $2.4 million and take on Todibo's contract for the duration of the loan. (Barcelona)

• Barcelona also parted ways with Rafinha, selling the midfield to PSG. He had spent time on loan with Celta Vigo and Inter Milan after coming up through the Barcelona youth system and spending nearly a decade as a member of the first team. (Barcelona)

• Chelsea has sent Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan to Napoli, where the central midfielder will be reunited with Gennaro Gattuso. Bakayoko played for Gattuso on loan at AC Milan during the 2018-19 season. (Chelsea)

• Premier League-leading Everton signs Norwich City center back Ben Godfrey. Theo Walcott, meanwhile, is headed back to where it all began for him, leaving Everton for Southampton on a season-long loan. (Everton | Everton)

• Everton brought in competition for starting goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with Swedish international Robin Olsen joining on loan from Roma. (Everton)

• Gerard Deulofeu has secured a loan from Watford to Udinese for the season, which is notable considering that the clubs have the same owner, the Pozzo family. (Udinese)

• Tottenham sends left back/winger Ryan Sessegnon on loan to Hoffenheim for the rest of the season. Tottenham has also sent center back Juan Foyth on loan to Villarreal after inking him to an extension through 2023. (Tottenham | Tottenham)

• PSG signs midfielder Danilo Pereira on loan from Porto and striker Moise Kean on loan from Everton for the rest of the season. (PSG | PSG) 

• Veteran fullback Matteo Darmian joins Inter Milan from Parma on loan with an obligation to buy. (Inter Milan)

• Juventus sends a pair of defenders out on loan to French clubs: Daniele Rugani is headed to Rennes, while Mattia De Sciglio is off to Lyon. (Juventus | Juventus)

• Bayern Munich signs former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting through the end of the season on a free transfer. The treble-holders have also brought Douglas Costa back on loan from Juventus, adding to its depth on the wing. (Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich)

• Bayern Munich has beefed up on the defensive end as well, signing right back Bouna Sarr from Marseille for a reported $11 million (with Michael Cuisance going in the other direction) and defensive midfielder Marc Roca from Espanyol (Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich)

• Davy Klaassen is headed back to where his career began, with Ajax signing the veteran midfielder from Werder Bremen in a deal initially worth $12 million but could rise as high as $16.5 million. (Ajax)