ARSENAL are top of the table and on top of the world after their comeback win against West Ham.
And things are getting even better for Mikel Arteta after welcoming Takehiro Tomiyasu back to training ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brighton.
The Gunners boss was all smiles as he took an intense training session at London Colney on Thursday morning.
Players were still in festive spirits as they wrapped up warmly to beat the capital’s chilly conditions.
But all eyes were on versatile defender Tomiyasu, who returned to the pitch after Japan’s thrilling World Cup campaign.
The right-back helped his side to stunning group stage wins over Germany and Spain.
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However, Japan’s adventure in Qatar came to a swift in the last 16 when they lost to Croatia on penalties.
And Tomiyasu declared he needed to take some time off before rejoining Arsenal’s group.
But with the World Cup now a distant memory, Tomiyasu got stuck in alongside Gunners teammates in today’s session.
Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko looked to be in top form as they took part in various drills.
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Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey were lively after dominating the midfield against West Ham.
And Eddie Nketiah, Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Magalhaes were also put through their paces as Arteta occasionally joined in from the sides.
The Spaniard cut a relaxed figure despite still being locked in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk over a deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk, who have rejected an initial £35million bid.
The Ukrainians’ CEO Sergei Palkin said today: “Now, literally in five minutes, I will have a new phone call conversation with Arsenal for the Mudryk deal.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk