Arteta could cash in on a couple of players this summerArteta could cash in on a couple of players this summer
Arteta could cash in on a couple of players this summer | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal could cash in on a player who has spent plenty of time on the sidelines of late.
Arsenal could be handed the perfect opportunity to offload a player they have already done without for some time. The Gunners face an interesting summer, with Mikel Arteta needing to re-evaluate his squad to see where they have come short in their search for a Premier League title.
Plenty has been spent in the last couple of years, but Arsenal still haven’t been able to end their more than two-decade-long title drought. Injuries haven’t helped this season, but there are still questions to be answered by Arteta over squad planning and why the club did not foresee what appeared to be an obvious need to sign a striker, especially after Eddie Nketiah was allowed to move on last summer.
Arteta must become more ruthless with his needs and desires to built a title-ready squad, and part of that could well be moving players on if they are not deemed to be of the right standard.
One player who has been linked with an exit here and there is right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, who was once seen as a top signing by the Gunners, but he since fell out of favour before entering a long period of injury issues. The right-back picked up a knee injury last summer and he still hasn’t returned.
Tomiyasu thought he was about to return only to suffer further discomfort, pointing to a need to further corrective surgery that has ruled him out for the rest of the season, and perhaps for a little longer.
If Arsenal want to sell this summer, the injury could be an issue, but Fichajes say Barcelona see Tomiyasu as a potential answer to their bid to add depth at the right-back position. Barca have long been linked with a move for Villarreal’s Juan Foyth, but that particular deal would likely cost them more than £20million.
Meanwhile, Tomiyasu is out of contract in 2026 and is still in the midst of injury issues, which presents an opportunity for the Spanish club to sign the Japan international on the cheap. Arsenal do have the option to extend the deal by a further year, but they could move to sell the defender while they can if Barca come calling. The report claims Barca chief Deco is already confident of striking a deal.
There is also talk of Serie A interest in Tomiyasu, but it’s going to take a brave club to pursue a deal before the defender returns to action, and passing a medical could also be an issue this summer.
Arteta ‘loves’ Tomiyasu
Arteta has previously said of Tomiyasu: “He was terrific in Seville, I think he played a really good game when he came on against Chelsea as well. He’s a player that everybody loves in there, he’s always the first and always the last. You tell him to do something, and he will give his life for it.
“He’s an exceptional professional player, and he gives us versatility and qualities that nobody else has in the squad, For me, he’s a very important player. Tomi adapts to it in a really natural way so it’s so good to have him.”