Report: West Ham and Southampton rivalling Roma for Japanese ace Takahiro Tomiyasu
by Will ButcherItalian outlet CalcioMercato have claimed that West Ham United and Southampton have joined Roma in the race to sign Bologna defender Takahiro Tomiyasu, who is a Japan international.
Tomiyasu, 21, has become a regular at Serie A side Bologna after joining the club last summer from Belgian side Sint-Truiden for a fee believed to be in the region of £8million, as per Italian site Roma Press.
Still very young but with around 120 professional appearances at club level to his name and 18 caps for his country, Tomiyasu is already very experienced despite his tender age. His impressive form has alerted some big hitters.
Roma are keen, but they are not the only teams interested. West Ham need to replace Pablo Zabaleta who is due to see his contract expire, while Southampton are set to lose Cedric Soares – who is expected to complete a move to Arsenal.
TBR’s view – Tomiyasu could prove to be an unearthed gem
Yes, Tomiyasu has now moved to Serie A and has proven himself in one of Europe’s biggest leagues. But he remains a complete unknown to Premier League clubs, and that may see the Hammers of Southampton pick up an unearthed gem.
Who needs him more? It is hard to determine, with both clubs desperately needing a right-sided defender. Ryan Fredericks has struggled and Zabaleta is leaving West Ham, while Kyle Walker-Peters is only on loan at Southampton.
What is fact, is that Tomiyasu is a very good right-back and is showing enormous promise – proven by the fact he already has 18 caps for his country at just 21 years of age.
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