Arsenal confirm Takehiro Tomiyasu can ‘play straight away’

Arsenal fans are buzzing with joy after the club’s technical director, Eduardo Gaspar aka Edu, confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu is available to play right away.

The Gunners roped in Tomiyasu for £20 million from Bologna. Speaking to Sky Sports, Edu explained how loaning Hector Bellerin will allow Mikel Arteta to play the Japan defender.

“Then, at right-back, we just signed Takehiro Tomiyasu,” Edu said. “He is someone who can come here and play straight away because we loaned Hector Bellerin to allow space for him to come and feature straight away. That’s the plan but of course, it’s up to Mikel if he plays or not.”

The 22-year-old is known for his versatility as a defender as he can play as a right-back and centre-back.

Both Gabriel and Ben White have also been signed this season. The defensive trio is fit, but Arteta is expected to use White and Gabriel as centre-backs. This will pave the way for Tomiyasu to fit in as a right-back.

The Japan star rose to fame for his excellent defensive skills with Bologna. In the last season, he also scored two goals in 31 appearances for the Serie A side. In the 2019-20 campaign, Tomiyasu netted one goal and assisted three goals in 29 league games.