Arsenal will be Man City's main title challengers this season | Football Digest
Arsenal have a new player to idolise after their 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Champions League, but Mikel Arteta will already know it’s not Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli who deserve some recognition for their heroics in Spain. Instead, Takehiro Tomiyasu proved once again he can silence his doubters after producing another stellar performance, which earned him praise from Gunners favourites Ben White and Ian Wright.
Arteta opted to start the 24-year-old over Oleksandr Zinchenko at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on a difficult night against the Europa League winners. Tomiyasu, primarily a right-back, showed his versatility with a superb display out of position.
It was only Tomiyasu’s fourth start in all competitions in 2023-24, but it turned out to be one of his best performances in the Arsenal colours. He was voted Arsenal’s man of the match in a poll put forward by the club’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, and that spoke volumes considering how well Jesus and Martinelli had performed.
Arsenal icon Wright, 59, speaking on his podcast Wrighty’s House, spoke in glowing terms about the Japanese’s impact since winning his place back under Arteta, and claimed his consistent performances are exactly what Arteta needs.
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“I’m always happy seeing Tomiyasu start because nothing is getting past him,” the former striker said. “And in the first-half, he should have hit the target with his chance as well.
“He’s so reliable, strength, positional awareness. When he gets on the ball, he has no problem getting it forward, passing it and progressing it. It is very rare that you see anyone get past him. He is one of those dependable players. Dependable player. Eight out of 10 every week. Dependable.”
The £16million signing had to be patient last season after losing him place to White while he was sidelined with injury. But the departure of Kieran Tierney has given him the opportunity to put pressure on Zinchenko for that left-back role, especially now that he has shown a capability to operate in the hybrid role by moving into central positions.
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He has a contract until 2025 with the option of a further year, but given Arteta’s proclivity for tying down his key squad members to longer deals, Tomiyasu may well be the next name on the list to join Bukayo Saka and Martinelli in committing their future to the Gunners.
Arteta already knows White would be pleased to see him stay, at least. The right-back is a huge fan of the Japan international and claimed the standard he plays to is ‘world class’, with the Arsenal star raving about his team-mate’s attributes that make him tick.
“Tomi is amazing. He’s always focused, it’s an honour to play next to him,” White said in January 2022 after his arrival from Bologna. “Tomi does the simple things at a world-class level. He is very alert and he isn’t careless in games.”
That may as well be the clearest message Arteta will get from his players that they want Tomiyasu to stay. And if he can continue keeping Zinchenko out of the team this season, few would argue against him deserving a new pay rise.
Arsenal’s new kit for 2023/2024 is a stylish twist on a classic as it reinvents that mid-1990s vibe. A truly modern-looking shirt with a homage to the past, the Nike kit also includes a nod to the club’s iconic Invincible’s side in the finer details while catching the eye with the lightning bolt motif
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