‘It’s not good’… £16m Arsenal player is confused and not very happy

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After a busy December, Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is now very unhappy with the timing of the Asian Cup in January.

Tomiyasu returned from his recent injury to play the second half in Arsenal’s defeat against Fulham on Sunday.

And with the Asian Cup now set to begin as of January 12th, Tomiyasu could be unavailable for Arsenal until February.

Mohamed Elneny will also travel to AFCON with Egypt shortly, with Thomas Partey now forgoing the tournament due to further injury.

And ahead of his departure to Qatar, Arsenal’s Tomiyasu was very unhappy with the timing of the tournament.

The £16m defender spoke to the Evening Standard before his departure, and thought this bloated schedule was unfair on players.

Tomiyasu was determined to lift the Asian Cup, but disagreed with the merits of the competition being held mid-season.

He said: “I want the Asian Cup to be played in June, the same as the Euros.

“I don’t know why we are playing in January – not only the Asian Cup but AFCON as well. It’s not good for the players. But it is what it is and I will really try to come back with the title.”

Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu very unhappy with scheduling of Asian Cup

Of course, with a lot of players travelling to both the Asian Cup and AFCON from Europe, Tomiyasu’s comments do make a lot of sense.

Many players have spoken out about how grueling the fixture schedule is now becoming for footballers in the modern era.

And following tournaments that could stretch to six games for the winners, those players will then be expected to return to their clubs fit and ready for the remainder of the season.

Tomiyasu has every right to be unhappy, and so do Arsenal to an extent.

Many footballers would probably agree that a tournament in June would be a lot more fair on players, who are already enduring a demanding schedule at their clubs.

Of course, extra football in the summer isn’t always the best solution either.

It’s a difficult situation to balance, international tournaments are a crucial part of world football, and they deserve to be celebrated and enjoyed.

However, as we saw with the World Cup, tournaments taking place mid-season simply cause a lot of stress on players.

And many will feel that Tomiyasu has every right to air his displeasure. 

Of course, with Tomiyasu now missing for the foreseeable, it may be a good idea for Arteta to recall one £25m Arsenal loanee.