Arsenal trigger Thomas Partey’s £45m release clause, contract details revealed

Arsenal have triggered the £45m release clause for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey.

They pulled off the dramatic transfer coup on deadline day by triggering Partey’s £45m clause written into his contract held by the Spanish football authorities.

Partey has completed the bulk of his medical in Madrid and has arrived in London to finalise his transfer with Arsenal.

The Gunners had the Ghana international top of their transfer wishlist but put a move on hold following Atletico’s demands that the midfielder’s full release clause must be met.

According to the Mirror, they are also paying Partey £260,000-a-week in a four year contract with an option, £2.5m signing-on fee and ten per cent agent commission in a staggering package.

Arsenal had been trying to negotiate with Atletico all summer but knew they always had the fall back option of triggering the buy-out clause which are standard in player contracts in Spain.

That is a relatively simple process but the biggest issue was whether they had enough time to get the deal over the line.

Jurgen Klopp identifies reasons Liverpool lost scandalously to Aston Villa

Jürgen Klopp felt Liverpool were guilty of ‘massive mistakes’ as he analysed his side’s performance during a 7-2 defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Reds suffered a heavy Premier League loss at Villa Park having found themselves trailing 4-1 at the interval on a night to forget for the visitors.

Afterwards, the manager spoke candidly about his team’s display and what led to the shock result in his post-match press conference.

The said German said: “First and foremost, congratulations to Aston Villa and all credit to Aston Villa because they deserve these three points massively so, because they played a really good game.

“The strange result is yes, because Aston Villa played really well, but on the other side because we did in different areas particularly bad. That helps obviously not. Tonight, pretty much everybody made massive mistakes around the goals.

“The first one was obviously Adrian; that was a big mistake, yes, but the reaction on the goal was an even bigger mistake, how we reacted. We have to take risks when we play offensively, that’s absolutely clear, that’s completely normal and that’s football.

“But you have to protect your risks, that’s normal as well, these situations. And we didn’t do that tonight. That means we had really nice chances, played really good football, came in the box, in moments were undefendable in the box, which is pretty rare. But each ball we lost, wherever it was, was a massive counter-attack and directly a real problem.

“Second goal, [fourth] goal was a free-kick, really well done. They were now already quicker in mind than we were, all these things. In the challenges they were more consequent, that all caused us problems.

“Being 4-1 down, but I think probably even you when you saw the game felt when we scored the one goal, it was like, OK, there’s still something to go for. That’s what we thought as well in half-time, if we can stop doing the under-average stuff or the bad stuff and can improve the good stuff, score one, score two, game on.

“But this was not possible tonight because we made similar mistakes again and then the deflected goals came in.

“That’s of course unlucky but is as well, a deflected ball can be completely unlucky; I thought tonight it was a little bit a 50 per cent block, like we didn’t block it properly, that’s why the ball was deflected. We conceded these goals, strange scoreline, but we have to accept that. The only good news actually is nobody was injured after the game.”

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(Watch goal on video) Chelsea loanee Ross Barkley scores superb goal on Aston Villa debut

Ross Barkley has been instrumental in the scitilating display by Aston Villa midfield, combining well with Jack Grealish.

The former Everton man got the goal he deserved. Grealish found him just outside the box and a little to the left of centre; he looked up and hit one with his left foot, which snicked off a defender and spinning up and beyond Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian.

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Mourinho’s Tottenham crush Manchester United at Old Trafford (Match Report)

Manchester United suffered a heavy Premier League as Son Heung-min and Harry Kane both scored twice to hand Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham a remarkable 6-1 victory against 10-man Red Devils at Old Trafford.

There was no hint of the upset in a dramatic match.

Despite conceding a second-minute penalty, the visitors came back in style to become the first team to ever score four first-half goals against United in the Premier League, taking advantage of a red card for Anthony Martial when Spurs were 2-1 up and surging into a 4-1 lead at the break before extending that to 6-1 after the restart in a quite remarkable display.

It was the home side who took the lead with a penalty awarded in the first minute. Immediately on the offensive from kick-off, United attacked down the left and Martial got in on goal before being brought down from behind by Davinson Sanchez.

Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and Bruno Fernandes tucked home the penalty.

It was the worst possible start but Tottenham responded in superb fashion with four unanswered goals to be in total control by half-time.

The immediate equaliser on four minutes was vital. Erik Lamela pressured Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire inside the area and Tanguy Ndombele lashed the loose ball into the net.

And three minutes later Mourinho’s men were ahead after Harry Kane was brought down midway inside the United half but got up swiftly to set Heung-Min Son away with a quick free-kick and he produced a wonderful finish to clip the ball past David De Gea from the edge of the six yard box.

On 28 minutes, Martial was sent off for an altercation with Erik Lamela, before Kane fired in from Son’s pass on the half-hour.

Son turned in his second, and Spurs’ fourth, eight minutes before the break.

Six minutes after half-time, Serge Aurier drilled in a fifth.

Kane converted Spurs’ sixth goal from the penalty spot on 79 minutes after Paul Pogba fouled Ben Davies.

Spurs move up to fifth place on seven points, while Man Utd are 16th on three points.

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Aston Villa stun Liverpool, hammer champions 7-2 (Match Report)

Ollie Watkins bagged a first-half hat-trick as sensational Aston Villa claimed a stunning 7-2 victory over reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

Clinical Villa were scintillating as they registered a truly memorable triumph in what was a pulsating encounter.

Captain Jack Grealish bagged a second-half brace while new loan signing Ross Barkley and John McGinn also got in on the act as Villa, who led 4-1 at the interval, started a league campaign with three successive wins for the first time since 1962/63.

The Villans led after only four minutes when Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian conceded possession to Jack Grealish, who teed up Watkins for a simple finish.

Barkley came close to adding a second just minutes later after a sweeping move, while Emi Martinez saved well from Roberto Firmino at the other end.

Martinez had to be alert to again save from Firmino in the 21st minute as an enthralling game flowed from end to end.

And it was Villa who doubled their advantage shortly afterwards, Watkins with a surging run down the left before cutting inside Gomez in the area and firing a superb finish into the top corner.

Martinez tipped over from Diogo Jota and Barkley sent another clear-cut opening just wide of a post, before the visitors reduced the arrears courtesy of Salah’s drilled finish from 12 yards.

Barkley again worked an opportunity, his near-post shot saved by Adrian and, from the resulting corner, the Reds could only clear to the edge of the area where McGinn was on hand to drill home a superb volley, which deflected off Virgil van Dijk, to make it 3-1.

Watkins’ hat-trick header made the score 4-1 and 10 minutes after half-time, Ross Barkley added a fifth.

Salah pulled another goal back on the hour but Grealish’s double on 66 and 75 minutes completed the comprehensive victory.

Aston Villa now have three wins from three while Liverpool are fifth, also on nine points.

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