Thread by @adamvoge

Takehiro Tomiyasu is a Gunner! Here's what you need to know about the 22-year-old fullback/center back hybrid. (1/x)

First of all, he doesn't only play RB. Tomiyasu joined Bologna starting in 2019. He's played both CB and RB since, although most of his transfer links have him as an RB. Last year he played each of the back 4 spots, and occasionally in a 3 atb, but settled in as RB by year-end.

I've seen my previous chart make the rounds today. Takehiro ranked a little lower than the likes of Emerson, Mbabu, etc., when I did my study because he was dragged down by his offensive numbers (lack thereof). I've wondered aloud whether it was because of the time split at CB...

Here's why you bring in a Tomiyasu. This is the same chart, isolating for defense and ball progression and dropping the stats for goal/shot contributions. Very secure defender who isn't dribbled past often, wins duels in the air. Good at pressing, secure in the tackle.

A little deeper dive on Tomiyasu's defensive stats. He tackled more than half the dribblers he took on, a 90th percentile performance. He was dribbled past 13 times in more than 2700 minutes last year. Bellerin: 29 times in <2,100, Cedric: 16 times in 746 minutes.

More on Tomiyasu: He won 56% of his duels last year. That's a huge jump from any of Arsenal's three. It also put him in the top handful of RBs I looked at. In the air: 58%, Chambers led the Arsenal options with 53%, but then...we just saw Cal's prowess in the air Saturday.

(By the way, Tomiyasu's 94 tackles + interceptions last year would have led Arsenal last season, although a couple of midfielders beat him in the per-90 stat. He had 82 the year before, so it's no fluke)

Here's what I'll want to learn about TT: What can he contribute to an attack? His numbers there are low, as illustrated above. But is that because he can't, or hasn't been asked to? Here's his heat map; as you can see he's not getting involved near his opponent's goal often.

(Here's Bellerin's, just so you can see the differences, particularly in the attacking third)

Tomiyasu completed just 10 passes into the penalty area all last year, about once every three games. Arsenal's three options each did that about once every 90 minutes. But he completed 4 passes into the final third/90, something none of Arsenal's RB did. That points more to role.

Look at Bologna's other fullbacks, and sure enough, none of them are completing penalty-area passes. Here's their leader in that stat at FB: Lorenzo de Silvestri. He completed one pass into the penalty area every ~75 minutes or so. Just short of Cedric.

Based on all the above I think you'll likely see Tomiyasu tuck into a back three while Tierney bombs up the left. Maybe even more action on the right coming from Ben White's CB spot or the midfield? It will be interesting to see how Tomiyasu is deployed.

Another stat I think backs this: Tomiyasu completed 52% of his long balls last season, successfully playing three per game. That's better than any of Arsenal's RBs. Bellerin, for example, was accurate 43% of the time, but he only played about two long balls every 180 minutes.

So, that's what I can tell you about the big Japanese international. From what little I've seen of him, he's a high-IQ player, agile, good with the ball at his feet. Add in stability and defensive reliability, and I think he's someone who could be of value to Arsenal's back line.