Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has not been offered to clubs in Italy, and will remain with the club barring any unexpected twist.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who has had to shut down any rumours linking the 24-year-old with a return to Italy.
The Japan international joined the club for £19.8m on deadline day in the summer of 2021, and whilst he has struggled with injuries, he has become a popular player who has performed well when called upon.
He has played across the back line, with his intelligence and physical capabilities making him one of the most defensively solid players at the club. He lost his starting spot to Ben White, and Jurrien Timber has now arrived, but he will still be a valuable option for Mikel Arteta.
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Romano has confirmed that unless Arsenal sign yet another fullback this summer, that he is in Arteta’s plans for the season ahead.
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What impact can Tomiyasu have this season?
Tomiyasu’s versatility will come in very useful. With Oleksandr Zinchenko currently injured, Tomiyasu can fill in at left-back if preferred to Timber, Kieran Tierney or Jakub Kiwior.
It was a role he particularly thrived in during Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool last season, where he handled a world-class winger in Mohamed Salah with relative ease on the left-hand side.
Arteta has also highlighted the importance of substitutes as “impactors,” and Tomiyasu was often used as a replacement for White in the latter stages of matches to add energy and additional solidity to the back line.
It seems highly unlikely that Arsenal would sanction a sale of someone who fits as an ideal rotation player for the entire back line, and Tomiyasu appears very settled in North London despite not being a regular starter any more.
He is arguably one of the most underrated signings Arteta has made at Arsenal, given his low fee and performance levels, and he will hope for an injury-free campaign after his frustration last season.