{"id":298017,"date":"2023-12-01T05:39:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T05:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=298017"},"modified":"2023-12-01T05:39:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T05:39:31","slug":"arteta-has-created-his-own-arsenal-dilemma-as-warning-signs-mount-against-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/arteta-has-created-his-own-arsenal-dilemma-as-warning-signs-mount-against-white\/","title":{"rendered":"Arteta has created his own Arsenal dilemma as warning signs mount against White"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mikel Arteta reviews Arsenal’s resounding win over Lens<\/h3>\n

Mikel Arteta’s pursuit of two high-quality Arsenal players in each position comes with its benefits as well as its drawbacks. Intense competition between Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White on the right side of defence has presented the Gunners boss with a tough selection call, and signs suggest that White is at risk of being frozen out.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old, who signed in a \u00a350million deal from Brighton back in 2021, has not played a full 90 minutes since November 8. Arteta revealed earlier this month that White had been nursing a minor injury and playing through the pain.<\/p>\n

His brief absence from the starting XI has given Tomiyasu an opportunity to make his mark, and he has grasped it with both hands. The Japan international put on a superb attacking display against Lens on Wednesday night, providing two assists from right-back in a 6-0 thrashing.<\/p>\n

Bombing forward was previously viewed as one of Tomiyasu’s weak points, but it is clear that Arteta has been working with the defender to improve that aspect of his game at the club’s London Colney training complex.<\/p>\n

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Arteta has made no secret of his admiration for the 25-year-old, saying in September: “We don’t have another player like him. At defending, he\u2019s probably one of the best that I\u2019ve seen in many situations. If physically, Tomi is at his best, we\u2019re going to have a player that is so important for us.”<\/p>\n

And reports indicate that he may soon be rewarded with a new long-term contract. Tomiyasu’s versatility saw him deployed at left-back earlier this campaign, leaving room for White on the opposite flank. But the return of Oleksandr Zinchenko has forced Arteta to make a call between the two right-sided hopefuls.<\/p>\n