One of the key objectives in the summer transfer window for Arsenal was to acquire a right back. Initially, Hector Bellerin followed by Cedric Soares were favoured by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta last season, but neither offered the required levels of consistency.
Calum Chambers was then handed a run of games towards the latter stages of the 2020/2021 campaign and showed competence in terms of build-up play, defensive stability, and overlapping qualities.
But so far this season, the former Middlesbrough and Fulham loanee has performed poorly, making blunders against both Brentford and Manchester City, leaving Gooners across the globe worried by the severe lack of quality delivered by the current options.
On deadline day, however, Arsenal identified a potential solution and it came in the form of 22-year-old Takehiro Tomiyasu
According to football.london, the Japanese international was brought in for a fee believed to be in the region of £17 million and when analysing the type of player he is, this deal seems to make perfect sense.
In possession prowess
In the current 4-2-3-1 system, Arteta instructs his men to build out from the back in a 3-2-2-3 shape, with the idea placed solely on progressing the ball forward efficiently.
Through the left channel, Kieran Tierney is acting as the outlet, tasked with driving down the wing with authority, creating natural width, and delivering crosses in advanced areas.
The full-back on the opposite flank however is given a contrasting role for balance purposes. Primarily, the right-back must drop into the backline to form a three, and offer ball progression in a variety of different forms – a role which is stylistically similar to the one Tomiyasu performed during his 2-year spell in Italy.
Arsenal’s new number 18 provides a calming presence in possession, comfortable in providing ball retention with both feet which allows him to remain composed against aggressive pressing sides.
But not only does Tomiyasu recycle possession effectively, but the former Bologna man is also proficient in moving the ball forward swiftly, thereby speeding up the transition from defence to attack and ensuring the build-up phase is fluid.
Whether it’s a ball delivered down the channel or an incisive pass drilled into a central area, the tough-tackling defender possesses a great range in his passing.
On average, Tomiyasu completes 6.74 long passes per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 68.5%, placing him in the 89th and 95th percentiles respectively.
Comparatively, fellow right-back teammates Cedric (4.56) and Chambers (5.88) completed fewer passes, with the Portuguese (54.9%) and English (60.6%) internationals both also achieving less accuracy.
Furthermore, Tomiyasu’s ability to access the final third is another standout trait within his game, executing 4.23 passes into the final third per game – a figure which surpasses the numbers provided by fellow colleagues Cedric (3.86) and Chambers (2.72).
Predominantly, Arsenal’s patterns of play are orchestrated through the left channel, which is often considered lop-sided and predictable. But Tomiyasu’s forward-thinking play style followed by Martin Odegaard’s return to the first team should sprinkle greater levels of fluidity, functionality, and overall team balance.
Defensive assurance
Transitioning forward and into the final third, Arsenal’s shape morphs into a 2-3-5 structure, with the right-back joining the midfield to ensure that the two central defenders are given adequate protection and aren’t exposed on the counter.
For these reasons, it’s imperative that the right-sided full-back is defensively astute first and foremost, which is why it seems the Gunners have recruited correctly.
A defender by trade, Tomiyasu offers defensive solidity, with his desirable 6 ft 2 in frame allowing him to cope against physically imposing attackers.
Aerially, Tomiyasu wins a whopping 3.5 duels per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 64.2%, ranking him in the 90th and 99th percentiles when compared to right-backs across Europe.
Tomiyasu’s qualities in this department will benefit new signing Ben White, who despite possesses a plethora of progressive qualities shows clear aerial vulnerabilities, with the Englishman only managing to win 53.3% of his battles.
Furthermore, a problematic area Arsenal have faced is allowing crosses to come through the wide areas regularly, giving opposing attackers many opportunities to flood the box and capitalise on these promising situations.
In the three Premier League fixtures played, Arsenal’s full-backs have struggled to deal with counterattacks, often being left on the wrong end of 2v1 wide overloads, suggesting that sufficient support hasn’t been offered.
But nevertheless, the determination to mitigate chance creation through the flanks has been lacking and Tomiyasu will help his new team in this regard.
Despite his tall and robotic stature, the Japanese defender possesses an impressive recovery pace and is quick to get touch tight to his marker, with the frame below illustrating this.
His intelligence, physical attributes, and decision-making ensures that he doesn’t look out of place when isolated, and statistically, this is supported.
Tackling 56.7% of dribblers he comes up against, ranking him in the 92nd percentile, Tomiyasu’s underlying defensive metrics further emphasises his ability to defend space adequately against tricky forwards, preventing them from gaining regular joy in the zones he is occupying.
Tactical fit
The expectation is that Tomiyasu will primarily figure at right-back, operating in a more reserved role in comparison to Tierney on the opposite flank. But the positional versatility his CV contains gives Arteta tactical flexibility.
During different stages of his Arsenal tenure, the Spaniard has set his team out in a 3-4-3, with the north Londoners’ victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the last time they had success with this system.
Whether it’s on the left or the right of a back three, Tomiyasu has seen a fair amount of game time in multiple positions across the backline for Bologna and if necessary, Arteta can adapt his approach dependent on the opposition whilst still having faith in Tomiyasu producing desirable performances in multiple positions.
Final thoughts
Signing young players, who possess exciting potential and are suited to the style of football on display is the route Arsenal have taken and the addition of Tomiyasu is another example of the club recruiting to specific profiles.
There are however areas of uncertainty that the £17 million signing brings, one which is how quickly he can settle to life in England.
The increase in aggression, intensity, and pace provided by the Premier League in comparison to Serie A is significant, so it will be a completely new challenge presented to him.
The other concern is his ability to advance forward and offer natural width. When attacks stem through the right flank, inside forwards Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe will benefit massively from a full-back who can overlap with conviction and whether Tomiyasu can offer this consistently remains to be seen.
But when considering the fact that he is technically gifted, defensively competent, and possesses a fair amount of experience, the positives massively outweigh the negatives and on paper, this looks to be a shrewd piece of business from the club.
Hope you enjoyed the read! Please comment below as I’m intrigued to know your thoughts.