Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss Arsenal’s pre-season tour and is expected to be out with a knee issue for a number of weeks. There is hope that he will be okay for the new season but this new problem has again raised questions.
There are frustrations from supporters and even growing calls to consider his place in the group. Having signed a new contract last season it appears as though the club are happy to keep him although the deal itself was in essence just a one-year extension perhaps hinting that there is an unwillingness to commit for the long term.
Tomiyasu has been available for around two-thirds of the potential games he could have played for Arsenal which on paper is not what he nor the club would want. He has missed 40 games in total according to Transfermarkt for club and country since joining Arsenal in 2021.
However, there is plenty of credence to not selling the Japan international. The first point is a simple one: Tomiyasu is a very good player.
The 25-year-old offers very consistent performances when on the field. While not a particularly offensive player when deployed at full-back his defensive qualities are excellent and he has coped with many of the Premier League’s top players extremely well.
Furthermore, his ability to play in any of the back four roles means he has to be an extremely valuable option when there are issues with other players in the group. His injuries are frustrating but he is not a consistent starter but not far off the starting quality of the group so when he is there is an asset but when he is not it is not a major blow.
If he was sold, despite the imminent arrival of Riccardo Calafiori, he would need to be replaced, especially considering both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko are being linked with moves away this summer. Signing yet another defender might have an even worse implication on one of the side’s top talents, Ayden Heaven.
The 17-year-old is yet to sign a professional contract with the club and there is understood to be growing interest from clubs across Europe. Tomiyasu might see frustration grow with injuries, but these periods of absence could be the opening of a pathway for a player like Heaven to get his chance in certain games.
Arsenal have been scrutinised for losing too many top young talents. They cannot then be criticised for then closing the door when calls to replace a player like Tomiyasu have been so loud – the hypocrisy is very much present in this case.
