Has Takehiro Tomiyasu just given Arsenal the perfect motive to pursue Ferdi Kadioglu, even after signing Riccardo Calafiori? Ideally, if Calafiori joined Arsenal, there would be no need to recruit another defender. However, the news that Takehiro Tomiyasu has a knee injury and will remain in London for treatment rather than fly to the US pre-season tour may serve as an incentive to sign a flexible fullback like Kadioglu.
Tomiyasu is injury-prone; the fact that he might have stepped in for William Saliba in the 2022–23 season and was also missing due to injury after the winter break last season when he could have covered left back emphasises his unreliability at the Emirates stadium. His constant presence on the treatment table does not help Arsenal at all. We’ve paid the price for sticking with injury-prone Thomas Partey (before landing Rice and Jorginho, the team struggled without him). Instead of keeping Tomiyasu, we should cash in on him for a reliable, always-available player.
Despite the expectation that he will return soon, nothing is certain. The injury could sideline him for months; who knows? The positive news is that there’s another excellent Tomiyasu alternative, Ferdi Kadioglu, whom we can sign. The Turkish international is a player the club has been watching closely, and they know that, like the injured Japanese star, he can cover both RB and LB.
In fact, he (Kadioglu) has matured into the explosive natural fullback profile that we have been missing. According to reports, Manchester United have entered the Kadioglu competition, but we have already reached out to the Fenerbahce player, who reportedly did agree to a transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
With intense games early in the season and the need to be off to a bright start unlike last season, plus the severe matchups in the restructured Champions League competition, we need every player available, even if it means cashing in on certain injury-prone individuals.
However, if we do not sign Kadioglu, I believe keeping Jakub Kiwior is a good idea.
What do you think?
Daniel O
Has Takehiro Tomiyasu just given Arsenal the perfect motive to pursue Ferdi Kadioglu, even after signing Riccardo Calafiori? Ideally, if Calafiori joined Arsenal, there would be no need to recruit another defender. However, the news that Takehiro Tomiyasu has a knee injury and will remain in London