Ex-Arsenal star finds new club! Ajax sign former Gunner Takehiro Tomiyasu on free transfer

Tomiyasu's time in London was significantly impacted by recurring fitness issues, culminating in knee surgery in February that ruled him out for most of the 2024-2025 season. He managed 84 appearances for the Gunners in total following his 2021 transfer from Bologna. Tomiyasu has signed a six-month "prove-it" deal with Ajax, running until June next year, with reports suggesting his earnings will be linked to the number of appearances he makes. This arrangement minimises risk for the Dutch giants while offering the player a clear path to consistent playing time once fit. 

On leaving the Gunners, he took to Instagram to say: "After four unforgettable years, the time has come for me to say goodbye to this incredible club. Obviously, I have got many things to say, but the thing that I want to tell you guys the most is just thank you for the love you guys gave me.  

"ARIGATO and all the best, Tomi."

Now back in training, the versatile defender, capable of playing at right-back or centre-back, aims to regain match sharpness and put himself back in contention for the Japan national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Ajax Director of Football Marijn Beuker has praised the signing, noting Tomiyasu's experience and ability to add balance to the team's relatively young squad. The move is seen as a strategic opportunity for both the player - with the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico on the horizon - and the club.

Beuker said: "Takehiro has proven himself to be an excellent defender with extensive experience in several top leagues. He is an intelligent, two-footed defender. Together with the scouting department and the coaching staff, we have reviewed a lot of footage of him in recent weeks, and everyone is enthusiastic. His injury history was also an important consideration. From the outset, he has worked hard on his recovery, the medical staff have assessed him thoroughly, and once his work permit is finalised, he can immediately join group training. 

"Although he still needs to regain match sharpness, we believe that, given his experience, he will pick this up almost straight away. Contractually, we have also found a good way to enter into a collaboration together. All in all, we expect that with Takehiro we have brought in a player who can bring more balance to our relatively young, but very talented squad in the short term."

Tomiyasu arrives at Ajax with the club in dire straits as, despite a recent uptick in results, the club has endured a woeful start to the season, marked by managerial upheaval and disappointing results in Europe. In the Eredivisie, Ajax are currently in third place, but sit a distant 14 points behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven. Results in the Champions League have been even worse with the Amsterdam side sitting 34th in the 36-team league phase, having lost five of their six games so far, though they recently secured a 4-2 victory over Qarabag. 

Off the pitch, the club sacked head coach Johnny Heitinga in November 2025, appointing Fred Grim as caretaker manager. Fan unrest has also been a problem, leading to a match abandonment due to fireworks being let off before the match with Groningen. After the game was called off, a club statement said: "Ajax considers what happened in the stadium this evening to be utterly outrageous. We offer our apologies to everyone who has been affected in any way. The safety of spectators and players has been put at risk. That is unacceptable. We emphatically distance ourselves from this misconduct. Fireworks do not belong in the stadium."