Arsenal agree to stunning contract termination with Takehiro Tomiyasu as Japan defender still five months away from injury recovery

As first reported by BBC Sport, the Japanese defender has departed after four years at Arsenal, having played just six minutes of football last season due to knee surgery. He is not expected to return to full fitness for another five months and also faced a similar knee injury in 2023. The club have come to an agreement with the 26-year-old to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in 2026, a year early.

In a statement on Friday, Arsenal said: "We have reached a mutual agreement with Takehiro Tomiyasu to end his contract with immediate effect.

"The 26-year-old defender, who joined us from Bologna in August 2021, made 84 appearances in all competitions during his time with the club.

"Unfortunately, injuries have limited Tomi’s time on the pitch in the past two seasons, with the defender making just one substitute appearance last season. It was therefore mutually agreed to end Tomi’s contract in order for him to start a new chapter in his career.

"Everyone at Arsenal Football Club would like to thank Tomi for his contribution to the club and we wish him and his family all the best for the future."

Known as a reliable performer and strong defender, Tomiyasu has not been able to stay consistently fit and this has curtailed his time in north London. Largely playing at right-back, the 42-cap Japan international has featured across the back line for Arsenal. But with the emergence of the likes of Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly as full-backs, in addition to Tomiyasu's former right-back competitor Ben White still amongst the ranks, Mikel Arteta may feel that his squad has moved on in Tomiyasu's extended absence. Therefore, a parting of the ways now was decided as the right decision for both parties.

Tomiyasu almost joined Barcelona during his youth, having trained at a Barca youth camp aged 11. He was offered a place at La Masia, but turned it down as the prospect of relocating made the move too complicated for him. Instead he spent time playing in Japan and Belgium, eventually arriving at Bologna in 2019 before securing a move to the Emirates.

Tomiyasu will continue his recovery from knee surgery and will hope to be back in action before the end of 2025. Aged 26, he will have no shortage of suitors if he can prove his injury issues are soon to be behind him.