Arteta says £15.5m star is ‘very, very close’ to playing for Arsenal again

Follow us on Google Discover

Mikel Arteta has revealed that Takehiro Tomiyas is ‘very, very close’ to playing for Arsenal again.

The Japan international joined Arsenal from Bologna last summer.

It’s been a stunning first season for Tomiyasu in English football but a large chunk of it has been missing due to injury.

The 23-year-old has only managed one Premier League outing for the Gunners this calendar year and in recent weeks, Arteta has missed him massively.

Arsenal have lost their last three Premier League encounters, derailing their bid to qualify for the Champions League in the process.

But although the right-back is close to a return, the Spanish manager isn’t certain whether tonight’s visit to Chelsea will be his comeback game.

He said via the club’s official website: “Tomi is very, very close. Whether this game is going to be too early for him or not, again we will decide it today after the training session.

This is where the decision to offload Calum Chambers might’ve held Arsenal back a little.

Cedric Soares has done an okay job replacing Tomiyasu this calendar year, but Chambers, you could argue, is a better defender.

At only £15.5 million, Tomiyasu has been an exceptional piece of business for Arsenal, but they do need a reliable alternative and alternating between Cedric and Chambers might’ve given Arteta a bit more freedom.