Arsenal are showing they have no room for sentiment this summer.
Arsenal released twenty players at the end of their contracts as fans had to say goodbye to favourites such as Kieran Tierney and Jorginho.
Mikel Arteta’s desire to revamp his Arsenal squad and add attacking firepower means that the club are having to be ruthless with player sales.
Arsenal want to sell Reiss Nelson and are also looking to be ‘creative’ with a deal for Oleksandr Zinchenko to leave North London. However, Andrea Berta’s latest bombshell has caught supporters by surprise and there are some mixed feelings…
Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to terminate his contract
As per journalist Sami Mobkel at BBC Sport, Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to leave the club after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.
The news comes as a shock to supporters as Tomiyasu is still recovering from knee surgery and isn’t expected to be back in action for another four to five months.
His current deal was due to expire next summer with the Gunners having an option to extend by a further year, however, both parties have agreed an early settlement on his deal.
Cristhian Mosquera’s arrival was bad news for Tomiyasu given the competition for places already in Arteta’s defensive set-up and the Japanese international can now focus on getting back to full fitness and finding a club where he can play regular football.
Arsenal fans react to Takehiro Tomiyasu’s departure
Tomiyasu’s career at Arsenal was blighted by injuries but when fit, the defender gave his all for the club and this was recognised by the supporters and his teammates.
Arsenal fans have taken to X to react to the news and it is fair to say there are some mixed emotions over the decision to terminate his deal.
One Arsenal fan wrote: “Very sad.. Can only wish him the best in his future endeavors, since that Sporting Lisbon game in 2023 he has since had rotten luck.”
Another fan wrote: “If he would be back by Nov/Dec why terminate his contract? Why not just give him one more season and see how it works out? I don’t think the decision is a good idea.”
However, there are some fans that believe the club have made the right choice, one fan wrote: “Great news, well done for putting your big boy pants on Arsenal.”
What is clear, Berta is showing a ruthless edge this summer and Tomiyasu is unlikely to be the last player we have to say goodbye to.
However, now eyes will be on the new sporting director to show the same decisiveness in attempts to bring in firepower up top – so far there has been nothing but frustration…
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