Takehiro Tomiyasu has been at Arsenal since 2021, when he signed from Serie A side Bologna. 

He is a versatile defender who can play both as a full-back and a centre-back and has become a solid depth piece for Mikel Arteta at the Emirates.

The 26-year-old is under contract at Arsenal until June 2026, but also has a one-year option in his deal with the Gunners. He has missed the entirety of the 2024/25 season due to a serious knee injury that he suffered with the Japanese national team in the summer.

Tomiyasu’s rise in Japan, before moving to Europe

The Japanese defender began his footballing career in 2009, aged 11 at his boyhood club Avispa Fukuoka where he came through the youth academy.

When he was just 11, he was recommended to complete a trial at Barcelona, who were so impressed with him that they offered him a place in the academy. However, he turned it down because it was difficult for him to relocate to Spain.

Instead Tomiyasu stayed in Fukuoka and came through the ranks, before making his debut in October 2015 at the age of 17, at the end of the season, he signed a contract with the club.

In his second full season for the Japanese side, aged 18, Tomiyasu made 39 appearances, scoring his first professional goal in March 2017 whilst playing as a centre-back for Fukuoka.

After his success in Japan, Tomiyasu caught the attention of Belgian side Sint-Truidense. He signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the club, moving for a fee of just under £700k.

In his first season in Europe, he missed the whole year virtually due to an injury, making his debut for Truidense in May at the end of his first season.

The next year, Tomiyasu established himself as a regular for the Belgian side, making 40 appearances, scoring one goal. He won the club’s player of the year award playing at centre-back. His eye-catching performances attracted Serie A side Bologna.

Move to Bologna and career-changing Arsenal transfer

Tomiyasu joined Italian side Bologna in June 2019 for a fee of £7.5m. It didn’t take long for him to make his debut as he played in a Coppa Italia first round match for Bologna in August. He was named the Player of the Month after a superb start to life in Italy.

For the remainder of his first season at Bologna, Tomiyasu made a total of 30 appearances, scoring one goal and providing three assists. He featured both as a centre-back and a full-back.

In his second year with the club, after recovering from another injury, the Japanese defender made 33 appearances, scoring two goals. His impressive performances led to reports linking him over a move to Premier League side Tottenham.

However, just weeks later, Tomiyasu was instead signed by Arsenal for a fee of £16m in 2021, on a four-year-contract. He became the first Japanese player to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners when he made his debut during a Premier League game against Norwich City.

In his first season at the Emirates, Tomiyasu made a total of 22 appearances, however, he was unable to score his first goal for the club.

That didn’t come in his second year either, when he made 31 appearances for the Gunners, helping them to finish second in the Premier League and just five points behind Manchester City.

In the 2023/24 season, Tomiyasu did score his first goal for Arsenal in a 5-0 win against Sheffield United in October 2023. He made 30 appearances for the club, almost helping them to a league title, finishing two points behind City.

He suffered a serious knee injury whilst away with Japan in the summer of 2024, and hopes to return for Arsenal in the second half of the 2024/25 season.

Click here to see Arsenal’s full squad and player profiles for the 2024/25 season.