‘He was excellent’… Mikel Arteta was absolutely delighted with £16m Arsenal player vs Lens

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Following a quiet brilliant win against Lens last night, Mikel Arteta did reserve some special praise for one Arsenal defender.

If it hadn’t quite clicked for The Gunners this season, then it certainly did at the Emirates last night.

And Arteta was delighted to see Takehiro Tomiyasu marauding down the right hand side in the first half. 

Tomiyasu assisted Martin Odegaard’s delightful volley at the end of the first period, and was having a lot of joy overlapping Bukayo Saka.

Arteta discussed his role in Arsenal’s win over Lens when speaking in his press conference after the game.

He said: “I think he was excellent, he has played a lot of minutes, and we have a really congested period. 

“We are very short at the back at the moment and we had to use the score to make some changes and give some rest and minutes to other players.”

Of course, Arteta is referring to his decision to replace the Japan international with Ben White at the break.

At 5-0 up it was job done, and White will benefit from 45 minutes following a recent injury.

Mikel Arteta was delighted with Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu against Lens

It does seem as if Tomiyasu is now demonstrating what Arsenal missed at the end of last season’s title run-in.

William Saliba’s injury is often mentioned as the catalyst for failing to get the job done, but £16m Tomiaysu’s issue was very significant too.

Not only has the defender starred as both an inverted left-back and a centre-back this season, he also delivered a timely reminder of his ability to overlap in his most familiar position last night.

Bukayo Saka demonstrated an excellent understanding of Tomiyasu’s positioning at time – a partnership that could blossom.

Arteta really does now have what he’s craved, positive problems in several areas of the pitch.

And a feel good 6-0 win against Lens could prove the perfect confidence boost for Arteta and Arsenal ahead of a busy period.

As well as the manager’s praise, Paul Merson has also hailed an Arsenal midfielder for the composure he showed last night.