Arsenal agree contract with best defender - "Any position, any formation"
Arsenal are believed to have reached a contract agreement with Takehiro Tomiyasu and are expected to confirm the extension in the coming days.
The Gunners have been ensuring a lot of their talent are tied down with a flurry of contract extensions over the last year. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Aaron Ramsdale are just four senior figures to recently commit their long-term futures to Arsenal and it now looks like Tomiyasu will follow suit.
The Japan international was signed from Serie A outfit Bologna in the summer of 2021 and has consistently impressed whenever he's been fit to play. Tomiyasu's main issue since arriving at Arsenal has been maintaining fitness, with the 25-year-old missing the bulk of the festive period this season with a calf injury.
Despite that, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has backed the defender to help Arsenal in the long run by offering him a new deal. Having just returned from the Asia Cup, Tomiyasu has agreed to the terms put forward and will remain at the Emirates for the forseeable future.
Arteta has never been one to shy away from heaping praise on Tomiyasu publicly. Back in September while the current campaign was still in its infancy, the Arsenal boss made the bold claim of suggesting the former Bologna ace was arguably the best defender at the club.
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“I always said that I’m really confident that the moment Tomi has consistency, he’s going to be a tremendous asset for us," Areta told reporters. "He already is. He can play in any position in the backline, any formation in the backline, we don’t have another player like him.
"At defending, he’s probably one of the best that I’ve seen in many situations. His concepts, his principles, the way he applies that, the way he goes into duels…now he needs a run of games so that physically he’s at his best. If physically, Tomi is at his best, we’re going to have a player that is so important for us."
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Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to sign a new contract at ArsenalUp next for the Gunners is a tricky trip away at London rivals West Ham. Arsenal have already been defeated by the Hammers twice this term, but could be boosted by Tomiyasu's return for the clash at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Should the right-back feature in any capacity, it will mark his first club outing of the year. Tomiyasu's last Arsenal appearance came in the form of a New Year's Eve defeat at Fulham.
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