Paul Merson’s ruling on a £17m transfer to Arsenal proved wrong after the North London derby

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Paul Merson’s ruling on Arsenal’s Taekiro Tomiasu was proven wrong after the north London derby beat Tottenham Hotspur.

Tomiasso was signed from Italian club Bologna on a transfer deadline last month, replacing Spanish full back Hector Bellerin, who joined Real Betis’ Manuel Pellegrini on a season-long loan.

The Japan international has been linked with a move to north London rivals Tottenham over the summer, but the Lillywhites have instead opted to sign Emerson Royal from Barcelona.

Some astonishment was raised when Gunners splashed £17m on the 23-year-old, with club icon Merson questioning his ability to consider Serie A’s top sides not making a move in his favour.

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“My only problem with Arsenal is that they buy players, but they never beat a player,” Merson told Sky Sports. “No one else is going after this player, right?

“The boy is from Bologna (Tomiyasu). The first thing that comes to my mind is that he is a right-back, €23m (£19.6m) from Bologna. Why wouldn’t Juventus, Milan, Inter, Lazio or Roma buy him?

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand. It’s bad business.”

However, Tomiyasu has shown his undeniable talent thus far, impressing him in all three of his matches for Mikel Arteta’s team.

The versatile defender helped keep consecutive clean sheets in 1-0 wins over Norwich City and Burnley before taking the lead during the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Tottenham.

Tomiyasu scored three breaks and five successful duels and an interception against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, winning most of his fights against South Korean striker Son Heung-min.

The 23-year-old was also crucial in the building phase, often stepping in to form three defenses alongside Ben White and Gabriel to provide additional protection for Aaron Ramsdale against Tottenham’s front line.

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