Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for £45m last summer.
The Ghanaian international has been restricted to just 18 appearances in his time in North London due to a number of fitness issues but returned to help Mikel Arteta’s side record an impressive 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspurs on Sunday.
Many view Partey as the closest Arsenal have come to replacing Patrick Vieira, and Silva, who won the Premier League title with the Gunners, could not have agreed more.
Asked if Partey is the best holding player Arsenal have had since he left the club in 2008, Gilberto told Astro SuperSport: "I guess so. In my opinion, I agree with you.
"He’s a good player. He’s the type of player Arsenal were missing, I’ve spoken a couple of times about it.
"They have good players in the [central midfield] position but not to sit and give Arsenal the stability they have.
"Look at the game [against Spurs] it was great to see how he managed his game, how he managed that position, helping [team-mates].
"You know what is very important about this particular position? This is a very particular position because not every time you get the credit you deserve.
"That’s okay, it’s fine, because you have to understand that. But this guy, when he understands the position like Partey, look at his game. He made the others a lot better.
"He makes Xhaka look better in the game, he made the defenders look a lot better and comfortable when the ball was against them.
"I think the way he manages games, the way he positions himself, is very important for Arsenal. He is the kind of player Arsenal have needed for quite a long time in my opinion."
