Who is Takehiro Tomiyasu? The versatile defender that improves Arsenal's backline

After splashing the cash to sign Ben White, Arsenal have left it late to add another defender to the ranks following their dire start to the season. Few in England had heard of Bologna's Takehiro Tomiyasu when reports of a potential move to England started to don the gossip columns this summer, but having previously attracted interest from Manchester United and north London rivals Tottenham, the 22-year-old is clearly highly thought of.  

Now, the Gunners at least have another versatile defender on the books, a position they needed to strengthen in. Arsenal have been very poor so far this campaign despite a summer of heavy spending. With three games gone, they sit bottom of the Premier League table with 0 points to their name, while only Norwich (10) have conceded more goals than Mikel Arteta's side (9). 

The new arrival is a defensive minded right-back but has the versatility to play at the heart of the defence if needed. He won't get forward often, but instead shore up a backline that, in fairness, needs reinforcing. Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet this season, that coming in their 6-0 thumping of West Brom in the Carabao Cup, and their defensive deficiencies were ruthlessly exposed by Manchester City at the weekend. 

Tomiyasu isn't the star name some supporters may be hoping for, yet the youngster is a solid capture that will aid the north London side. A tackle success rate of 78.3% was the seventh best of the 134 players to attempt 50 or more tackles in Serie A last season and, on the rare occasion he does get beaten, Tomiyasu has the recovery speed to ensure this is not capitalised upon by opponents. 

He also boasts an impressive reading of the game that belies his tender years with 54 interceptions the 20th best return in Serie A last season, this trait reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'ball interception'. Standing at 6'2", Tomiyasu puts his height to good use. The defender was tough to get the better of in the air with 91 aerial duels won the ninth best in Italy's top tier last term. 

However, what's crucial about the capture of Tomiyasu is his versatility, and the greater tactical flexibility he'll afford Arteta. The Spanish boss has used a 4-2-3-1 system in two of Arsenal's three league matches this season, and a five-man backline against City, though the plans went out the window after conceding twice in the opening 12 minutes and Granit Xhaka's red card late in the first half. In either setup, Tomiyasu has a key role to play. 

Starting 13 games at right-back, Tomiyasu also featured at centre-back 16 times from the get go for Bologna, at times on the left side of the central defensive partnership. There is a two-footedness to his game, even if he does prefer to use his right foot, that makes him incredibly valuable when it comes to resisting an opponents' press. Arsenal often crumble when the backline comes under pressure, so this calmness at dealing with the press is a welcome boost.

Given the furore surrounding Ainsley Maitland-Niles' future at the Emirates and with Hector Bellerin off to Real Betis for the season on loan, right-back is a position Arsenal need to strengthen in, particularly on the back of Cedric Soares' disastrous display against Manchester City on Saturday. Crucially is that the signing of Tomiyasu allows Kieran Tierney to maximise his attacking talent safe in the knowledge that the Japanese defender has drifted infield to operate as a third centre-back should Arteta revert back to a 4-2-3-1 system. 

This was often the approach for Bologna last season, where Mitchell Dijks was granted freedom to attack from left-back, noted in that only Nicola Sansone (4.6) attempted more dribbles per 90 than the Dutchman (3.4) of all Bologna players. For context, Tomiyasu attempted 0.8 dribbles per 90 in 2020/21, though that did rise to 1.1 when he started at right-back. 

Arsenal's capture of Tomiyasu, though, is a shrewd one in the current market and while he isn't a headline grabbing arrival, the Japanese defender could prove an important player in the rebuild in north London.