Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury is the one being overlooked by Arsenal fans

Takehiro Tomiyasu was an unknown quantity who arrived at Arsenal and quickly won over the fans with his rock-solid defensive performances, aerial strength and composure with both feet.

After signing, Tomiyasu started 15 games on the bounce, quickly locking down the right back position as his own. Then the problems started.

After missing Norwich at home, he returned and played 90 minutes in Arsenal’s narrow defeat to Man City at the Emirates Stadium, but then missed the next 12 games with a calf injury. When he returned, the Japanese international never looked completely fit, with Newcastle away being the casing point, as he limped off after 33 minutes.

That injury impacted his start to 2022/23, with Ben White grabbing his opportunity at right-back following William Saliba’s arrival where he’s remained since, as Tomiyasu has failed to regain his best form and consistency.

When he went off against Sporting, the signs weren’t good, and it didn’t take long for Arsenal to confirm he needed knee surgery. That injury was made much worse by Saliba’s which occurred in the same game.

Despite all the noise around Saliba, very little has been made of Tomiyasu’s, but people are vastly underestimating its impact.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury is the one being overlooked by Arsenal fans

With Saliba out, Rob Holding has come into the fold. While he’s a solid defender and a great pro, he is not a gifted ball player in the way Saliba is. However, Arsenal have two players who are much more comfortable on the ball and would most likely have got the nod in that position if everyone else was fit: Tomiyasu and White.

Both can comfortably play RCB or right back, and both would have gotten the nod if Saliba went down. However, if White goes there now, Arsenal have no right back, which is a crucial position in the team’s build-up, and one that takes a lot of learning to play.

At centre-back, Arsenal’s only other option is Jacob Kiwior, a left-footed defender with minimal Premier League experience. Throwing him into the team during a title run, while playing him out of position in a team where defenders play in a very defined style could have catastrophic consequences.

Then you add Zinchenko’s absence into the mix. Four of Tomiysu’s six Premier League starts this season have come at left-back, suggesting Arteta trusts him in the inverted role much more than Kieran Tierney. Again, if he was fit, it’s likely that he would have started against West Ham.

This versatility has allowed Arsenal to evolve at a rapid rate, knowing they have a defender who can cover across the back four at an extremely high level. The issue is, Tomiyasu’s injury has created a gap in ball-playing ability at the back, and the team are having to adapt and learn to play with a more traditional style defender.

Against slightly weaker teams, Arsenal should be more than able to adapt and play with Tierney and Holding, but it’s against the likes of City and Newcastle where Tomiyasu’s injury will be really felt by Mikel Arteta.