Arsenal's Ben White praises 'world-class' Takehiro Tomiyasu | OneFootball

Ben White has labelled fellow Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu as the best right-back he’s ever played with.

White and Tomiyasu both signed for the Gunners in the summer of 2021 for £50m and £16m, respectively, and have since gone on to form a vital partnership.

“Tomi is amazing,” said White. “He’s always focused, it’s an honour to play next to him.”

The Japanese international arrived from Bologna in Italy six months ago, yet he has adjusted to the pace of the Premier League incredibly quickly.

“Tomi does the simple things at a world-class level,” White explained. “He is very alert and he isn’t careless in games.

“From the beginning, he’s completely understood English, and speaks as well as I do.”

Reports had emerged earlier in the season that there was an issue between the pair as White didn’t seem to pass to Tomiyasu very often. However, White has explained why the two do not link up as often as expected.

“If you aren’t familiar with football you might not understand,” White said. “Opponents target passes to the right-back when they press.

“It’s not that I don’t want to pass to Tomi but it is the best way to build up our play so that it leads to the final third.”

Arsenal will be hoping Tomiyasu recovers from the ‘tight calf’ that kept him out of the squad that lost to Nottingham Forrest as the Gunners take on Liverpool on Thursday before the North London Derby at the weekend.