£15.5m Premier League star courting two new clubs amid injury nightmare
A former Arsenal star is searching for a new club - and is hoping to stay in the Premier League.
The past few years have been nothing short of nightmarish for the 26-year-old defender, who has spent almost as much time injured as he did available for selection.
This summer, manager Mikel Arteta came to the end of his tether, and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Ironically, Tomiyasu is still injured at the time of publication after undergoing knee surgery - and isn’t expected to be fit again until October at the earliest.
But that hasn’t stopped the Japan international from courting other Premier League clubs in hopes of finding a new home.
According to reports, both Brentford and Brighton are interested in securing his signature, even if he isn’t available for selection when the new season begins.
The Bees recently signed a new right-back in Michael Kayode, with the 21-year-old joining from Fiorentina earlier this month. At best, Tomiyasu would play third fiddle behind him and Mads Roerslev, who recently returned from loan.
At Brighton, Tariq Lamptey is the incumbent right-back, but Tomiyasu could serve as backup to the Ghana international, especially with Joel Veltman now 33 years old.
Initially, Arsenal spent £19m to bring Tomiyasu to the Emirates from Bologna in 2021; according to Transfermarkt, he is now worth around £15.5m.