‘I really like him’…Mikel Arteta says he’d love £15.5m Arsenal player to stay

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of this weekend’s clash with Brentford and had some words on Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The Japanese defender remains a player on the periphery of things and is struggling to get himself in as a first-team regular. Often kept out by Ben White at right-back, the Gunners also signed the injured Jurrien Timber to give them more options at right full-back.

Since then speculation has arose around Tomiyasu’s future. Reports have suggested Arsenal were open to selling him in the summer, while Bayern Munich are said to be keen on him.

However, speaking about Tomiyasu today, Mikel Arteta has said that he loves the defender and ideally, wants him to stick around.

Mikel Arteta discusses Takehiro Tomiyasu

Speaking in his presser, Arteta admitted that he’d love to see Tomiyasu stay put, despite speculation on his future.

“I really want him to stay. I value the player a lot, I really like him. I think he’s loved and respected by everybody at the club. He’s getting a lot of minutes now, he’s getting his availability to the level that we need for him to make an impact in the team and I think he will continue to be with us,” Arteta said.

Arsenal paid around £15.5m for Tomiyasu and he made a fast start to his career at Arsenal, impressing from the outset.

However, he has found himself down the pecking order a touch and there is good reason for him to consider his future at the club.

Of course, Arteta wants a strong squad and that means keeping hold of players who might not always be in the first-team every week.

Tomiyasu falls into that category and over the course of the season, he should prove a valuable player.