Following Tomiyasu’s contract termination, which player should follow suit?

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·05 de julho de 2025

Following Tomiyasu’s contract termination, which player should follow suit?

On Friday 4th of July, Arsenal officially confirmed the departure of Takehiro Tomiyasu. The club and the player mutually agreed to sever ties following a difficult 12 months for the Japanese international. His deal was terminated simply because of his fitness concerns. The former Bologna man featured only once, a six-minute cameo, in the space of just a year for the Gunners. Injuries plagued him throughout his stay in North London, robbing the club of a truly remarkable 1 v 1 defender. Despite his limited catalogue of appearances, he was a true fan favourite. The news of his departure would have felt deflating for the majority, but the club made the right decision. It was a ruthless decision, but all things considered, it was the right choice nonetheless.

There are a number of players who could follow suit. The squad can do no wrong with more depth, however a few players are approaching the realm of being surplus to requirements. The following two players are strong candidates to have their contracts terminated in my opinion:

Vídeos OneFootball

Reiss Nelson

After spending last season out on loan, Nelson has returned to the club ahead of pre-season. He spent the entirety of 2024/25 at Fulham, but only featured in the first half of the campaign. His season was cut short at the start of December when he picked up a season-ending injury against Brighton. He had surgery on his hamstring not long after, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign. He is expected to return before the start of the new season, but it probably will not be in the iconic red and white. This is a player the club should look to move on with speed. After spending nearly eight years in and around the Arsenal playing squad, Reiss Nelson has failed to make that breakthrough. He had a few loan spells over the course of that time, but has struggled to nail a starting berth in the Arsenal first team. He is Arsenal through and through, but it just has not worked out for the 25-year-old. With just under a year remaining on his current deal, his time at the club is coming to an end. Therefore, a mutual agreement to leave will benefit all parties.

Reiss Nelson

Albert Sambi Lokonga

Another player returning from a loan spell, Lokonga’s future is currently shrouded in uncertainty. He joined the club in the summer of 2021 and went on to have a fairly impressive debut campaign due to his performances in the first half of the season. However, his progress plateaued considerably in the subsequent campaign. The arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko and a rejuvenated Granit Xhaka contributed immensely to his lack of game time, ultimately leading to a loan move in January of 2023. Successive loan spells have followed, with the latest being with Sevilla. Arsenal are currently thin in central midfield, but even that cannot justify keeping the Belgian international. That said, the arrival of Martin Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard in addition to Mikel Merino and Declan Rice is enough for the upcoming campaign. Not to mention the ever-impressive Myles Lewis-Skelly who has been tipped for a midfield role down the line. Following the mutual agreement to release Tomiyasu, Albert Sambi Lokonga should be strongly considered to follow suit.

Would love to get your opinions on this duo Gooners!

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