Following Jurrien Timber’s injury, Arsenal made no progress in their efforts to sign a defender in the closing weeks of the transfer window. Takehiro Tomiyasu, though, might have been right there in front of Mikel Arteta the entire time, holding the solution to his issues.
When Timber was acquired by the Gunners from Ajax in July, he was regarded as one of the club’s top acquisitions. After his first few appearances for his new club, £38 million seemed like a bargain for him.
He rapidly displayed his versatility by beginning his career as a left-back in North London. But he primarily played as a right-back or a center-back at Ajax. However, a severe injury to his anterior cruciate knee ligament sustained on his Premier League debut has ruled him out for the majority of the season.
Arsenal explored their transfer market options. But they were unable to come up with a short-term fix that met their requirements. They nevertheless permitted Rob Holding to join Crystal Palace permanently.
Arsenal defender might solve Arteta’s defensive issues
That left Arteta with just six senior defenders until at least January. This season’s addition of Champions League football makes that number appear low, especially in light of the additional pressure it will put on players like William Saliba and Ben White.
Arsenal will have to cross their fingers and hope they don’t sustain any other serious injuries at the back. But they have a player in Tomiyasu who can play in any position. He can play across the backline as Timber can. Whenever Tomiyasu has played as a centre-back for Arsenal, it has typically been in a back three during his early years with the team.
Tomiyasu rose to prominence among Arsenal supporters as their right-back. But injury issues caused him to relinquish the position to White at the start of the previous campaign. Since then, he has had to play a supporting role. But he might end up being an important team player this season.
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