Arsenal target Takehiro Tomiyasu transfer hijack at Spurs

Arsenal have yet to sign Ben White this summer despite being on the cusp of doing so for a number of weeks. It’s a transfer that is felt to be near enough complete and will be finalised once the centre-back returns from England duty.

Everyone has to have backup options, however. Setting sight on one player only to be outgunned by a team who can offer higher wages or Champions League football, lists aren’t just for the supermarket.

That is no more prevalent than in Arsenal’s pursuit of midfielders where Martin Odegaard was followed Emi Buendia and then James Maddison, with Yves Bissouma and Manuel Locatelli all in the frame elsewhere.

Contingency plans must be drawn up.

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Arsenal target Takehiro Tomiyasu transfer hijack from Tottenham as Mikel Arteta eyes defensive reinforcements in summer window

It’s become apparent that centre-back was a high priority as soon as the White news emerged. Other links to players well beyond Arsenal’s reach were mentioned, but a Premier League ready option that would cost a cool £50m proves just how serious Mikel Arteta is about the position.

Gabriel’s injury could prove costly and William Saliba’s loan move away also lowers the numbers, and should White arrive he will be granted an extended break before linking up with his new teammates.

There are always concerns though and the reliable Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia has revealed that Arsenal have contacted Bologna over Takehiro Tomiyasu. The defender will be known to most as he’s been heavily linked with signing for Tottenham in recent days, a move The Athletic reported he strongly favours. There is still some disagreement over the fee.

However this attempted hijack could change the Japanese international’s mind.

Both Sp*rs and Arsenal are in talks over a deal that is said to end up costing around £18m. An interesting option for the Gunners to consider who could be simply casting their net wider in case of an emergency, there is no doubting the 22-year-old is ready for a step up from Bologna.

Comfortable on the ball and excellent at reading danger, his ability to tackle players effectively while sprinting is demonstrative of his strong mobility and body positioning – and his 1.36 passes blocked per 90 (92nd percentile) is credit to his athletic reactions. Aggressive in the tackle but smart at slowing forwards down to allow for extra cover to get into a blocking stance, it’s not surprising why someone like Nuno Espirito Santo holds an interest.

Some of his distribution under pressure could use work and while a smooth passer of the ball, some additional pace in that department would be beneficial. As a White alternative, he doesn’t completely fit the profile.

What if he wasn’t intended to be used as a centre-back?

Continued…

Takehiro Tomiyasu Could be Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin Replacement

It was fleetingly mentioned by Di Marzio that with Inter heavily pursuing Hector Bellerin this summer, Tomiyasu may be seen as the right-back’s replacement.

Not his favoured position – that is centre-back – he has been utilised there by Siniša Mihajlović, with 15 of his Serie A outings last term coming in the full-back slots.

The way Bologna play is to attack with a back three where Tomiyasu tucks into right centre-back and to defend with a flat back four. He may not possess explosiveness down the line but he takes big strides and can hit decent speed for someone for someone standing at nearly 6’2″.

Where Tomiyasu looks very strong is running back to goal in defensive transition. His speed is quite good but his deceleration stands out. Tackles made from behind are clean and the ability to stop quickly in his tracks slows down opposition breaks.

Not the archetypal bombarding right-back, he hits most of his passes into the channels and very few are into the box (1st percentile) via cross (4th percentile) or otherwise. Crosses are non-existent in his game – stats can be muddled between positions – but he makes an exceptional amount of blocks (99th percentile) compared to full-backs and is rarely ever dribbled past (99th percentile) partly due to the system Mihajlović adopts.

Working in tandem with a more expansive left-back like Kieran Tierney, the defensive traits of the 22-year-old could be more effective, especially when building in a back three formation.

However, he is a defender best suited to playing centre-back and while he’s quicker than Calum Chambers, Arsenal should be targeting high end options to fulfill roles they are most comfortable with.

Di Marzio is well informed in the Italian market and Arsenal will have made contact, yet for this one the logical reason behind that would be as a possible alternative to White in central defence. If that is the case though, are there fears over the deal coming off?

Tomiyasu is a really exciting defender with a big future, bags of energy and deserving of better than consecutive 12th place finishes in Serie A, but maybe the ol’ bitter Premier League rivals can win this one for a change.