Arsenal's injury woes continue as Tomiyasu ruled out for season
Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season after undergoing knee surgery.
The Japan international has not featured for the Gunners since October, and the club has opted for a long-term recovery approach to ensure his full fitness.
Tomiyasu's injury woes continue
Tomiyasu's only appearance this season came as a substitute in Arsenal's Premier League win over Southampton in October.
Since then, the 26-year-old has been sidelined with an ongoing knee issue.
His absence adds to Arsenal's defensive struggles, with injuries affecting key players such as Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The defender took to Instagram to confirm the surgery and express his determination to return. 'I've had a surgery on my knee a few days ago and I've already started my rehab to do what I love the most again,' he wrote. 'It has been the toughest period in my career for sure and it carries on a bit more, but I won't give up.'
A missed asset for Arsenal
Tomiyasu, who has been capped 41 times by Japan, joined Arsenal from Bologna in 2021 and was a regular in his debut season, making 20 Premier League starts.
However, persistent injuries have limited him to just 17 league starts since. His versatility across the backline has made him a valuable squad player for Mikel Arteta, who will now have to manage without him for the rest of the campaign.
Arsenal will hope to have Tomiyasu fully fit for the 2025-26 season as they continue their push for silverware.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Man City want winning feeling at Club WC
Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is back from injury for Manchester City to compete at the FIFA Club World Cup. PHOTO: AFP Bolstered by a £100 million ($135 million) spending spree ahead of the Club World Cup, Manchester City are determined to erase the memory of a disappointing season by returning to winning ways in the United States. For the first time in eight years, City ended the domestic campaign without a major trophy as Pep Guardiola's men surrendered the Premier League crown to Liverpool after an unprecedented four consecutive titles. A Champions League exit before the last 16 for the first time since 2012/13 and a shock FA Cup final defeat against Crystal Palace compounded a miserable season for a club that has grown used to success since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover 17 years ago. At one time the month-long expanded Club World Cup, sandwiched between two gruelling seasons, was the last thing Guardiola or his players appeared to want. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri hinted back in September that a players' strike was "close" over fixture congestion. Defender Manuel Akanji more recently said the City squad was "not exactly overjoyed" at playing in the tournament given the limited rest time. However, City are keen to turn the page from last season and begin afresh with major changes in the squad and coaching staff. Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli were all signed last week to beat the deadline to feature in the Club World Cup from the start. City also spent more than £172 million in January on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez. Adding Claudio Echeverri, who arrived in Manchester in January at the end of a loan spell at River Plate, nine of Guardiola's 27-man squad for the tournament have been at City for less than six months. Former City captain Kyle Walker and club record signing Jack Grealish have been left out of the travelling party in a changing of the guard. Meanwhile, Guardiola has also made radical changes to his staff with Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp's former assistant at Liverpool, and ex-City defender Kolo Toure joining the backroom team and three other coaches departing. "This is a very, very serious competition," said Guardiola. "In the summer, the whole world will be watching this. "A big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament and I can assure you, we're going to give it our best shot. We're going there to win it." City begin the tournament as third favourites in the British bookmakers odds behind newly-crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. They should ease through a group containing Morocco's Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Italian giants Juventus. Yet there is an air of mystery around what to expect from City given the fresh faces and their inconsistency over the last season. After a miserable mid-winter run of one win in 13 games in all competitions, Guardiola's side recovered to an extent as they finished third in the Premier League. The additions of Reijnders and Cherki add some much-needed verve to an ageing midfield and compensate for the departure of Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli. Ait-Nouri's arrival ends a long spell without a natural left-back and will add an extra attacking dimension down that side. Most crucially of all, though, Rodri is back from the cruciate knee ligament injury that decimated his and City's season. When the Spanish midfielder went down against Arsenal in late September, City were still undefeated and top of the Premier League. His importance as the key cog in Guardiola's machine was brutally exposed in the months that followed.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Liverpool bank on 'world-class' Wirtz
The golden boy of German football is set to become the new prince of the Premier League as Florian Wirtz prepares to join Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee. Fresh from winning a 20th English top-flight title, Arne Slot's Reds have broken the bank to land a rising star already labelled as one of the world's best by former Reds midfielder and Wirtz's former coach Xabi Alonso. British media reported on Friday that the Premier League champions had agreed a club-record deal worth up to £116 million ($157 million) to secure the services of the attacking midfielder. Liverpool can now agree personal terms with a player coveted by a number of top European clubs. Wirtz's abundant potential as a teenager sparked a row between his hometown club Cologne and Leverkusen five years ago when Leverkusen, who are backed by pharmaceutical giants Bayer, swooped to sign him at 17. Cologne argued that a gentleman's agreement not to poach youth team players had been violated, but Leverkusen said Wirtz was a first-team signing and within months he had made his Bundesliga debut. His rise was interrupted by a cruciate knee ligament injury in March 2022 that forced him to miss the next 10 months. By the time he returned, Alonso had been installed as Leverkusen boss and together they would spearhead the club's greatest days. Leverkusen ended Bayern Munich's grip on the Bundesliga in stunning fashion, romping to the title and the German Cup without losing a single match in the 2023/24 season. Wirtz netted his first career hat-trick on the day the title was sealed against Werder Bremen, on his way to being crowned Bundesliga player of the year. "Flo is one of the top players in the world, he's world class," said Alonso, who compared his protege to Lionel Messi in terms of his understanding of the game. "Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball'," said Alonso, a hero of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League triumph. "It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good."
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Liverpool agree 136.3mn euros fee to sign Leverkusen's Wirtz, reports say
Premier League champions Liverpool have agreed a fee of 136.3 million euros ($156.75 million) to sign Germany's attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, British media reported on Friday. The Athletic reported that Wirtz is expected to sign a five-year contract, with the fee comprised of a 117.5 million euros upfront amount and a further 18.8 million in add-ons. Reuters has contacted Leverkusen for comment. The fee would make Wirtz Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk, who joined for 75 million pounds in 2017. With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also the subject of interest from German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Van Dijk signs new Liverpool contract The German international bagged 16 goals and recorded 15 assists in 45 appearances for Leverkusen last season as they finished second to Bayern. Wirtz would become Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, who he was teammates with at Leverkusen.
