AJAX have officially confirmed the free-agent signing of former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu on a six-month 'prove-it' contract. Ajax signed Tomiyasu to what's called a 'prove-it' contract, which means the club won’t pay him any money until he starts playing.
Photo Ajax Jesper Lucas
The more he plays, the more money he’ll earn. If everything goes well between Ajax and Tomiyasu, both sides are ready to talk about a long-term deal.
Tomiyasu is joining Ajax to get back into professional football and prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Marijn Beuker, Ajax’s director of football, is happy with the signing of the former Arsenal player.
"Takehiro has shown himself to be an excellent defender with a lot of experience playing in top leagues.
He’s a smart, two-footed defender," Beuker said on the club's website. "We've watched a lot of his footage in recent weeks with the scouting department and coaching staff, and everyone is excited about him."
Because of a serious knee injury, the 27-year-old Japanese international has only played one game since May 2024.
After Tomiyasu and Arsenal agreed to end his contract in July, he focused on his fitness in Japan and made big progress in his recovery.
"His injury history was a key factor in our decision," Beuker added.
"From the start, he has been working hard on his recovery, and the medical team has done thorough assessments. Once his work permit is sorted, he can start training with the group."
The club expects Tomiyasu to join team training soon: "Although he still needs to get back into match shape, we believe his experience will help him pick up quickly.
"Contractually, we’ve found a good way to work together. Overall, we believe Takehiro will add more balance to our young and talented squad in the short term."
The 42-time Japanese international had offers from clubs in England, Germany, and Italy after his contract at Arsenal ended, but he chose Ajax, who have been looking for defensive players.
After moving from Bologna to Arsenal for €18 million in 2021, Tomiyasu faced injury issues that limited him to just 84 appearances for the Gunners.