Tomiyasu surprised to learn he’s close to landmark Arsenal appearance

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Takehiro Tomiyasu has admitted to the official Arsenal website that he was not aware that he was one game away from making 50 appearances for the Gunners, but insisted that that is a special achievement for the defender.

Tomiyasu has been a brilliant signing for Mikel Arteta’s men. Arsenal signed the Japan international for around £20 million in the 2021 summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports.

He was a stalwart of the side during his first campaign at the Emirates. Only injury probably prevented him from playing in every single Premier League game following his arrival.

Tomiyasu on cusp of making 50th Arsenal appearance

This campaign has been a more frustrating one for the 24-year-old. Ben White has been Arteta’s first-choice at right-back. He has only completed 90 minutes in the top-flight on just three occasions so far.

Nevertheless, he has still rarely missed a game this term. And with that, Tomiyasu will bring up his half-century of appearances should he feature against Everton on Wednesday.

It turns out the defender was not aware that he was on the cusp of the landmark. But he suggested that he was delighted to approach that number.

“I didn’t know, it’s come so quickly!” he told the club’s official website. “It’s special to me because Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’m happy to play for this club. 

“When you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, there is big competition all the time and Ben White has been playing very well, so I just have to be patient. When I play, I just give everything for the team, so I need to be ready all of the time.

Tomiyasu has been an inspired addition. He has made some errors. But he is someone who can play across the backline. In fact, he seemed to be ahead of Kieran Tierney in the left-back pecking order when Oleksandr Zinchenko was sidelined earlier this season.

Considering Arsenal only spent £20 million, it really does feel like a brilliant piece of business. And, like so many of his teammates, he has the potential to improve further in the coming years.

You would certainly be surprised if 50 appearances was the last landmark Tomiyasu managed during his time at Arsenal.