ARSENAL fans have likened new signing Takehiro Tomiyasu to former Gunner Bacary Sagna.
Tomiyasu – a £20mliion arrival from Italian side Bologna – made his debut for the north Londoners in their 1-0 victory over Norwich earlier this month.
But the Japan international got Gunners fans wagging their tongues with a stellar display against Burnley last weekend.
The 22-year-old had the most touches out of any Arsenal player, 79, and won 100 per cent of his duels with Burnley’s attackers.
And to top it off, he made five recoveries and five clearances.
The Emirates faithful were thrilled by what they saw of their new full-back, who some reckoned showed similar qualities to the beloved Sagna.
One said: “Don’t know if it was the style of the game, but Tomiyasu reminded me of Sagna today.
“So defensively solid, kept it simple with passing and you almost overlooked how good he was.
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“Early days, but promising.”
Another said: “Like Sagna, and Montreal, Tomiyasu is one of those players who will just get on with their job.
“Not trying to be flashy or all that. Just putting in a minimum of 7/10 each game.”
And another said: “Early days but Tomiyasu proper gives me Sagna vibes. Just good in duels and wins them all.
“Good agility for his size and nimble on the ball too.”
One remarked: “Tomiyasu reminds me of Bacary Sagna. Dude is strong in the air with great potentials.”
Another remarked: “The Bellerin > Tomiyasu upgrade is giving me some Eboue > Sagna vibes.
“Makes such a difference to have a full-back who wants to defend first and is good at it.”
Under pressure Gunners chief Mikel Arteta was impressed by Tomiyasu’s display in his side’s 1-0 win Turf Moor and lauded his versatility after the match.
The Spaniard said: “That’s one of the reasons that we were so keen to get Tomi in our squad.
“He can play left full-back as well, so he is very comfortable in playing across the back four.
“He can play in a back three and not only his actual skills or his versatility but the type of personality and character that he has, that makes us really excited about the signing we have just done.’’
Tomiyasu and his Arsenal team-mates will be back in action on Wednesday night, welcoming AFC Wimbledon to the Emirates for their Carabao Cup third-round tie.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
