Honoured With Black Stars Call Up But... - Thomas Partey

Atletico Madrid midfielder, Thomas Partey, has acknowledged being honoured to have received a first national team call up but quickly cooled talks of being under pressure for his maiden appearance.

Partey, 22, was part of three players to have been handed their maiden Black Stars call ups for this month’s 2017 AFCON qualifiers against Mauritius with the others being AshantiGold’s defender Mohammed Kadri and Kazakhstan based forward Patrick Twumasi.

Ghana will seal qualification to Africa’s biggest football showpiece in Gabon next year with a point against the Island nation on Sunday, June 5 and Partey who joined the team for the second day’s training at the Accra Sports Stadium told the media that, he is under no pressure to perform for Ghana.

He said, “I am excited with the call up and happy to give my all to the success of the team and the country as a whole.

I am not under any pressure joining the team for the first time as I know we have a good team and along with hard-work and the coaches tactics, we will surely excel in our quest to seal qualification to the AFCON 2017 in Gabon next year.”  

Coach Avram Grant and his team are expected to depart Ghana for Mauritius on Thursday.

Honoured With Black Stars Call Up But... - Thomas Partey

"Thomas Partey Deserves A National Team Call Up"-Sam Johnson

Former Black Stars defender Sam ‘Foyoo’ Johnson has called on the coaches of the senior national team to extend a hand of invitation to Atletico Madrid Ghanaian international, Thomas Partey.

Partey has been very consistent for the Spanish side all season scoring some very important goals in all competitions, with the recent being the team’s 1-0 win over Levante last Saturday.

With the African Cup of Nations qualifiers as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the pipeline for the Black Stars, Sam Johnson insists that the team can benefit from his experience.

“I think when it comes to one of the most consistent Ghanaian players abroad, Partey is one of them. For me, he has done enough to warrant a call-up into the Black Stars and I believe the coaches are aware of all this.”, Sam Johnson told sportscrusader.com in a chat.

“We all know how difficult the Spanish La Liga is, and for him to assert his influence in the team and in the league too, means that he is well cut out for greatness”.

“I will be very surprised if the next squad for Black stars players is announced without his name among the list”, he added.

"Thomas Partey Deserves A National Team Call Up"-Sam Johnson

Getafe plotting January swoop for Thomas Partey hours after shooting Atletico to top of La Liga

Getafe manager Fran Escriba has confirmed his interest in Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey hours after he shot Atletico Madrid to the top of La Liga.

Partey scored what proved to be the eventual winner in Atletico’s 1-0 win over Levante on Saturday to send the side top of the Spanish top flight.

The Ghanaian’s late strike has received a lot of press with the leading newspapers in Spain reporting on his sterling performance despite coming on as a late substitute.

Atletico only started giving the 23-year-old a fair chance in the first team this season after farming him out on successive loan spells at Mallorca and Almeria.

Their resolve will definitely be tested as early as this month with Getafe preparing to swoop for the rising Ghanaians.

Getafe manager Fran Escriba confirmed he has been tracking Thomas Partey for years but is yet to make an official offer for the Ghanaian.

“Of course he is a player that we like and that we have long followed,” Escriba said of Partey.

“He is constantly growing, but the truth is that we have not sat down to make an official offer to sign him.”

Getafe plotting January swoop for Thomas Partey hours after shooting Atletico to top of La Liga

Partey earns manager"s praise after shooting Atletico to top of La Liga

Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey has earned the praise of his manager after striking late to shoot Atletico Madrid to the top of La Liga on Saturday.

The 22-year-old struck what eventually proved to be the winner against Levante with nine minutes remaining having come on as a late substitute for Jackson Martinez.

It was the first ever La Liga goal for the Black Stars hopeful as Diego Simeone’s side moved top of La Liga with Real Madrid and Barcelona having games in hand.

Simeone was delighted with the impact made by Partey, not only for his winning goal but the verve he gave the side when he came on in the 73^rd minute.

“After Thomas came in, the flow of our game looks more smoothly,” Simeone noted.

“This is an important and difficult match, but we can go home with a big smile because we are now at the top.”

Partey was promoted to the Atletico first team in 2013 having joined their youth team a year before.

He has had loan stints away at Mallorca and Almeria before returning to the side.

Partey earns manager"s praise after shooting Atletico to top of La Liga