Thomas Partey has officially joined Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League, as announced by the club on Friday.
The club celebrated the signing on social media, referring to Partey as a “legend” and expressing that the transfer “just feels right.”
The Ghanaian midfielder was a free agent after departing Villarreal, having spent one season with the Spanish side.
Before Villarreal, Partey played five seasons for Arsenal, where he made 167 appearances and scored nine goals.
Starting his career at Atlético Madrid, Partey racked up 188 appearances under Diego Simeone and was part of the squad that won the Europa League in 2018.
Though he joined Arsenal at the start of the 2020-21 season, he played enough matches early on to earn a medal for Atlético’s LaLiga victory that season.
For his country, he has earned 60 caps, netting 15 goals; however, his participation at the recent World Cup was marred by controversy as he was denied entry into Canada due to ongoing legal issues in the UK.
In London, Partey faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault stemming from incidents between 2020 and 2022, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Initially scheduled for November at Southwark Crown Court, his trial has now been postponed to begin on June 8, 2027.
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Having started each of Ghana’s other three matches in the tournament, he notably participated in a 0-0 draw against England and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia that saw Ghana exit in the round of 32.
At Al Shabab, Partey will reunite with former Premier League players Josh Brownhill and Daniel Podence, as well as his former Atlético teammate Yannick Carrasco.