Arsenal roared back into the Premier League title race on Sunday afternoon by beating Liverpool 3-1 at the Emirates, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard striking in the second half after a Gabriel own goal had cancelled out Bukayo Saka’s opener.
The result sees the Gunners move to within two points of the table-topping Reds, but Manchester City have the opportunity to go a point clear in first if they’re able to win their games in hand, both of which are against Brentford.
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On Monday morning, some more good news emerged for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal reached an agreement they’d been chasing behind the scenes. The club had reached the “final stages” of talks with defender Takehiro Tomiyasu over a new contract, and planned to complete the process “in the next weeks”. As it turns out, though, things have proceeded ahead of schedule after Tomiyasu and Japan exited the Asian Cup at the hands of Iran in the quarterfinals over the weekend.
Arsenal now reach Tomiyasu agreement
According to Fabrizio Romano, Tomiyasu’s new deal has now been agreed and sealed. The 25-year-old will soon put pen to paper on a long-term contract in North London, with an announcement imminent.
There was never any prospect of him being allowed to leave, with Arteta and the club hierarchy instead both pushing for him to be rewarded with fresh terms.
Versatile Tomiyasu gives “his life” for Arsenal
Tomiyasu has played 73 games for Arsenal since his £16m move from Italian club Bologna in the summer of 2021, with 20 of those coming this season. He’s made ten starts so far – five in the Premier League, four in the Champions League and one in the Carabao Cup, and there are signs that he’s climbing the pecking order. Prior to an injury lay-off and his trip to the Asian Cup, he made the XI for four consecutive league games.
Previously, Tomiyasu had been one of Arteta’s most trusted substitutes, coming off the bench more often than any defender as the Spaniard looked to shore things up. As you can see in the table below, he ranks fifth in the squad for substitute outings this season.
|
Rank |
Arsenal player |
Sub apps |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Leandro Trossard |
12 |
|
2 |
Eddie Nketiah |
11 |
|
3 |
Reiss Nelson |
10 |
|
4 |
Jorginho |
9 |
|
5 |
Takehiro Tomiyasu |
8 |
One of the things that makes him invaluable in this regard is his versatility – he’s played almost as much football at right-back as he has at centre-back, and he also has experience on the left of a four too. That means Arteta is able to utilise him wherever he sees fit late in games.
“Tomi is a player that everybody loves in there,” he said in October. “He’s always the first (in training) and he’s always the last out. You tell him to do something and he will give his life for it.
“He’s an exceptionally professional player who gives us a versatility and qualities that nobody else has in the squad. For me he’s a really important player.”
Tomiyasu’s deal had been due to expire in 2025, and now midfielder Thomas Partey is the only other player in that boat. It remains to be seen what decision Arsenal make with regard to his future.
