Arteta has confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu is closing in on his return to first-team action, having been absent since the Asian Cup.

Speaking about the Japanese international’s fitness in recent days, Arteta said that the defender is on the comeback trail:


“He’s very close. He is already doing something on the grass and hopefully, we are going to have him with us very soon.”

A place on the bench for Tomiyasu on Saturday evening looks like a strong possibility.

Expected Return Date – Saturday 9th March v Brentford

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.