Arsenal’s new fan favourite, Takehiro Tomiyasu has said that he thought he was going to Spurs until deadline day when the Gunners finally moved.
All summer it seemed very much like Takehiro Toimyasu would become a Spurs player.
Arsenal were briefly linked but it was Spurs who were the team that always seemed most likely to land him from Bologna.
Now, speaking in an interview with DAZN in Japan, he has revealed how close he was to actually becoming a Spurs player.
“I thought I wasn’t able to join Arsenal,” Tomiyasu said.
“I thought I was going to Spurs. On Deadline Day, I rejected them. Arsenal asked me to join them and I did immediately.”
https://twitter.com/ChrisWheatley_/status/1456252849961070599
It should be noted that this translation could be a bit off, although I doubt that will stop this becoming folklore:
This is a mistranslation, per @nikutohide who correctly notes that the original comment was basically "(the Spurs move) fell apart at the last minute" https://t.co/SAPerORAbZ
— Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) November 4, 2021
Arsenal had been trying to sign Emerson Royal, who eventually ended up at Tottenham, in a swap deal when that move collapsed a few days before deadline day.
The Gunners moved quickly to sign Tomiyasu before the deadline passed while Tottenham signed Royal instead.
Arsenal initially held talks over signing Tomiyasu in July.
Upon his arrival, Technical director Edu said: “We’re delighted to have signed Takehiro. We’ve been watching him for a while now and we’re pleased that we have reached an agreement with Bologna. He is an important addition to our squad.”
Mikel Arteta added: “Takehiro is a strong defender with good experience in Serie A and at international level. He’s a versatile defender with great defensive qualities, high technical ability and composure on the ball. He will be an important member of our squad. We look forward to Takehiro joining up with us when he returns from international duty.”