Arsenal star admits 'loss of confidence' amid transfer links
Tom Weber
- Updated: 4 Aug 2023 10:56 BST
- 4 min read
Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu has admitted that he suffered a loss of confidence last season.
The Japan international has repeatedly been linked with a summer exit as the Gunners hierarchy is reportedly unhappy about his frequent fitness issues. Tomiyasu missed the crucial run-in of last season - that saw Arsenal surrender their sizeable lead at the top of the Premier League table - after sustaining a knee injury against Sporting CP in the Europa League.
Speaking to Football.London, Tomiyasu admitted that last season was tough for several reasons. "It was a difficult period for me," he said. "Ben White was doing very well and to be honest I lost confidence. But the injured period was four months and I thought about a lot of things at this time."
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“You need to learn from the injuries, also the mistakes from the Manchester City game as well. You have good and bad moments but you need to learn a lot of things from the bad moments. Now I am feeling good, not only for the body but my head and also my career. It’s all positive."
Will Tomiyasu leave the Emirates?
Despite reports that Arsenal are looking to move Tomiyasu on, Fabrizio Romano claims that there is not much to this. "Takehiro Tomiyasu hasn’t been offered to any Italian club despite reports," he wrote on his Twitter account. "He’s [a] regular part of Arsenal['s] plans."
"[The] situation," he continued, "could only change if Arsenal sign [a] new fullback but nothing close or advanced at the moment." The Gunners have been in the market for a wide defender as Mikel Arteta is keen to use Ben White as centre-back cover, but nothing has thus far materialised on that front.
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Rumours that Arsenal were in talks with the likes of Timothy Castagne, Ivan Fresneda and Sacha Boey ultimately died down. It appears that the Gunners will head into the new season with their current crop of full-backs.
