Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has signed a new contract with the club. The versatile Japasene defender has committed himself to Mikel Arteta's side until 2026, football.london understands, with an option to extend that another 12 months.
Tomiyasu's deal was due to expire next summer, although there was again an option to extend that. He signed for the club in 2021 and has played 73 times for the Gunners to date.
The 25-year-old is the latest in a long line of players in the current group to tie themselves down in north London, joining Benjamin White most recently. William Saliba, Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka have all also penned new deals in the past 18 months as Arsenal continue their proactive approach to contract negotiations.
Tomiyasu arrived at Arsenal as a relative unknown, joining from Bologna in the same summer as Ramsdale, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, White, and Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal. Although he has struggled with consistent injury problems — missing 11 games in his first season, 16 in his second, and already 14 this campaign — Tomiyasu is a key player for Arteta.
With problems to defensive teammates Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko for much of this term he has been moved across the defence consistently. He is currently recovering from a calf injury that has plagued his 2024 so far.
On the announcement, sporting director Edu Gaspar said, «We are very excited to have Tomi with us for more years to come. He has huge qualities both on and off the pitch, and offers so much strength and versatility to our squad. Tomi is a top professional and it’s great that he’ll continue to play an important role in the coming years, as we work towards achieving our goals.”
Arsenal
Read on football.london