Declan Rice has reacted on social media after Arsenal announced a surprise release ahead of pre-season getting underway.
Arsenal fell short for the third season in a row last time out, as Liverpool won the Premier League title while they came second, akin to their runners-up finishes behind Manchester City in the two years previous.
Mikel Arteta has not been particularly busy in the transfer window as yet – Arsenal have signed Kepa from Chelsea and look to be closing in on deals to sign Christian Norgaard from Brentford and Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but that alone will not be enough.
Football Insider also revealed on Tuesday (1 July) that the Gunners are still negotiating potential deals to sign either Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, but it is a recent shock exit that has caught the eye of Gunners fans and neutrals alike.
Versatile defender Tomiyasu joined Arsenal from Bologna in 2021, and while he impressed in his first few seasons in North London, he found it increasingly tough to stay fit and make an impact on Arteta’s side over the last few years.
Football Insider revealed last September that Arsenal were not looking to sell Tomiyasu in the January window, as Arteta believed he had a future at the club at that moment in time.
But he did not feature as the season went on, and then Tomiyasu was ruled out for the rest of the campaign in February due to an existing knee issue that he had surgery on to try and rectify the problem.
The Japanese international made just one appearance last term, and so Arsenal have moved to come to a mutual agreement to release him from his contract, announcing on the news on Friday (4 July), saying: “We have reached a mutual agreement with Takehiro Tomiyasu to end his contract with immediate effect.
“The 26-year-old defender, who joined us from Bologna in August 2021, made 84 appearances in all competitions during his time with the club….
“Unfortunately, injuries have limited Tomi’s time on the pitch in the past two seasons, with the defender making just one substitute appearance last season. It was therefore mutually agreed to end Tomi’s contract in order for him to start a new chapter in his career.
“Everyone at Arsenal Football Club would like to thank Tomi for his contribution to the club and we wish him and his family all the best for the future.”
Their heartfelt message was reacted to by key Arsenal man Declan Rice, who left a like, while Gunners winger Reiss Nelson, who could be set to re-join Fulham this summer, also followed suit.
Tomiyasu’s Gunners career was a strange one, as he always threatened to become a regular at either centre-back or right-back, but then never truly broke into the starting side under Arteta.
The most appearances he made in a single campaign at the club was 32 in 2022/23, and he enjoyed a run of starts at full-back in that term, but saw his season curtailed early through injury, which seemingly summed up his time in North London.
While Tomiyasu made just the one appearance last season, and Arsenal have decent depth at the back with Gabriel, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior all able to play at the heart of the defence, it does look as if Arteta is planning to delve into the market for a new player in that position.
Arsenal have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Valencia centre-back Christhian Mosquera, with the La Liga side now offering him a new contract, while the Gunners’ interest in Marc Guehi has recently lessened as the Crystal Palace man prefers a move to Liverpool.
Arsenal’s main priority should be signing forwards, after they struggled with injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus last season, yet Arteta insists on further bolstering his backline, despite not losing any key defensive player so far this summer.
