Newcastle going back in for their £16m-rated summer target would be a smart long-term investment

Why Takehiro Tomiyasu would be a great signing for Newcastle United

Back in September, Italian newspaper Corriere di Bologna (h/t The Sun) had revealed that Premier League clubs Newcastle United and West Ham were interested in signing Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. 

However, the Japanese international, who was rated at £16million by the Serie A outfit back then, eventually ended up staying put in Italy ahead of the summer deadline. Newcastle, meanwhile, roped in Jamal Lewis from Norwich City to bolster the full-back department as a part of their summer recruitment drive. 

Profile

Takehiro Tomiyasu started his professional career with Avispa Fukuoka in Japan, featuring in the J1 and J2 leagues. He made 56 appearances for his boyhood club before completing a move abroad with Belgian outfit Sint-Truiden in January 2018.

The highly-rated defender made just a solitary appearance for Truiden towards the back end of the 2017-18 campaign after recovering from an injury.

The 21-year-old established himself as a regular starter in the following season, featuring 40 times in all competitions. His impressive displays in Belgium prompted Bologna to snap him up for £8million in 2019 and Tomiyasu went on to enjoy a productive debut season in Italy.

Tomiyasu contributed with a goal and 3 assists in 29 Serie A appearances for Bologna in 2019-20, featuring both as a centre-back and right-back. Having blossomed into a regular starter last season, the Japanese starlet has continued to impress this term as well, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each of Bologna’s 5 opening fixtures so far.

The versatile defender represented Japan across several age groups between U-16 and U-21 before making his senior debut in 2018. Tomiyasu has since amassed 20 senior caps for the Blue Samurai, representing his nation at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 2019 Copa America. 

Tomiyasu would add more quality to Newcastle’s backline

The acquisition of Jamal Lewis has solved Newcastle’s left-back issues but the Magpies still have some pressing concerns in the right-back and centre-back departments. DeAndre Yedlin had been touted for an exit throughout the summer but a move away from St. James’ Park failed to materialise. 

Steve Bruce has rotated the likes of Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth at right-back, with Yedlin’s involvement only restricted to the League Cup. However, none of the aforementioned players has done an awful lot over the past 12 months. The Magpies would be better served by looking for some upgrades.

The same goes for the club’s central defensive cavalry. Newcastle shipped 58 goals in the PL last term despite having six centre-backs in their ranks. Florian Lejeune left the club on loan in the summer, leaving Bruce with Federico Fernandez, Jamal Lascelles, Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, and Fabian Schar as feasible options at the heart of the defence.

However, with Schar, Clark, and Fernandez all out of contract at the end of the season, the Magpies need to rebuild their backline with one eye on the future. And making a renewed attempt to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu in January would allow Newcastle to solve their conundrum in two departments with a single roll of the dice.

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Verdict

The 21-year-old has demonstrated the versatility to operate in either role at Bologna in the Serie A and looks more than ready to make the transition to English football.

Tomiyasu already boasts an envious profile for a player of his age and still has his best years ahead of him. Hence, he fits the bill as an immediate upgrade on Newcastle’s defensive options while also ticking the box as an excellent long-term signing. 

The Japanese international’s stocks have been soaring sky high and Newcastle making a renewed attempt to sign the Japanese international would pay off handsomely for their long-term plans moving forward.