Arsenal fear Takehiro Tomiyasu will face another spell on the sidelines after only recently returning to action from a knee injury, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.
Tomiyasu made his first appearance of the season with a late cameo off the bench in the 3-1 win over Southampton before the international break. The defender had missed the first few weeks of the new campaign as he was nursing a knee injury he sustained in pre-season.
Tomiyasu was left out of the Japan squad for their games against Saudi Arabia and Australia due to his lack of action so far this term.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Arsenal are seriously concerned Tomiyasu suffered a recurrence of his knee problem in his short appearance against Southampton and he could now be out of action for another month.
It means the versatile star – who can play as a full-back or centre-half – will be unavailable for this weekend’s clash with Bournemouth as the Premier League resumes after the international break.
The news is another injury headache for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both picking up knocks on international duty.
Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey also withdrew from international duty last week with injuries, leaving them as concerns for the trip to Bournemouth.
Partey was forced to fill in at right-back against Southampton as both Ben White and Jurrien Timber were missing with knocks. Arteta will be hoping the defensive pair will be fit to play at Bournemouth as Tomiyasu braces himself for another spell in the treatment room.
Tomiyasu faces uncertain future
In September, it emerged that Arteta is willing to let the 42-cap international leave in January as his ‘key concern’ is that Tomiyasu is rarely fit enough to play for long periods.
Tomiyasu’s latest injury blow will only add to the speculation that Arsenal might put him up for sale ahead of the winter transfer window opening.
Despite the player only making one appearance so far this season, he is still being monitored by some major clubs.
Reports in Italy have previously stated that Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan will swoop in for him if he is put on the market at a reasonable price.
Arsenal originally paid Bologna £16million (€19.1m / $20.9m) to sign Tomiyasu in August 2021.
Arsenal news: New striker and goalkeeper links
Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly joined a host of other Premier League clubs including Chelsea and Aston Villa in scouting Bologna striker Santiago Castro.
The Argentine has taken Joshua Zirkzee’s No 9 shirt at Bologna and has registered three goals and one assist in his last four league appearances, leading to interest from Arsenal and other sides.
Although, Castro is only 20 years old, so he would likely be a future option for Arsenal, rather than an immediate starter.
The Gunners are also sounding out goalkeepers who can eventually replace Neto as David Raya’s backup.
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Aaron Ramsdale left for Southampton in the summer, while Arsenal failed to snare Joan Garcia from Espanyol.
It was thought that Arsenal would return for Garcia, but Football Transfers state that they have actually changed targets and are now pursuing Napoli’s Alex Meret.
The Italian has entered the final 12 months of his contract, which means Arsenal could sign him on the cheap next year.
However, as Meret is Napoli’s current No 1, Arsenal must convince him to act as a backup for Raya when joining their ranks.
TeamTalk
Question 1
Martin Odegaard joined Arsenal in January 2021. Did Thomas Partey join before or after
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