Palace sign defender Tomiyasu after pre-season trial

Takehiro Tomiyasu has 46 caps for Japan and played for Arsenal between 2021 and 2025

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu following a successful trial.

The 27-year-old - who was a free agent after spending the second half of last season with Ajax - was part of Japan's World Cup squad this summer.

The former Arsenal defender, who can play at full-back or centre-back, becomes the second signing for new Palace manager Pierre Sage after Oscar Mingueza .

The Eagles have not announced the length of Tomiyasu's contract.

Palace wanted to strengthen their defensive options with first-choice centre-back Maxence Lacroix having joined Chelsea .

Tomiyasu made 84 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal between 2021 and 2025, having previously played for Bologna and Sint-Truiden.

"Takehiro has experience at the highest level of European and international football," said Palace chairman Steve Parish.

French coach Sage has succeeded Olivier Glasner, who led the Eagles to the first major trophies in their history over the past two seasons - the FA Cup and Conference League - plus the Community Shield.

"This club is in a good moment, winning three titles in two seasons," Tomiyasu added. "Here is where I wanted to be."

Palace also have an interest in a possible loan deal for Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong and BBC Sport reported last month that the Eagles also hold a strong interest in Brest centre-back Raphael le Guen.

Palace set to sign Tomiyasu and consider March deal

This summer is a pivotal one for Crystal Palace with a new manager, a big departure in Lacroix and also another year of European football.

The Eagles are in the Europa League this season following their Conference League win last season and with that comes financial obligations.

Palace have to comply with Uefa's squad cost ratio (SCR) when trying to bring in players during this transfer window.

The SCR obligations are stricter than those of the Premier League and Palace have to deal with the rules put in place by Uefa, which cap spending on wages, transfers and agent fees at 70% of club revenue.

In the Premier League, for clubs not competing in Europe, they can spend up to 85% of their revenue.

Uefa fears smaller clubs will almost always face problems because they will have to up their spending to build a squad to play in Europe but - as per rules - cannot spend the same percentage of revenue as their league rivals.

The Eagles have not yet paid a fee for a player this window but are moving towards a deal for 19-year-old Real Salt Lake winger Zavier Gozo.

Palace have also produced a couple of bits of shrewd business in the market, signing Tomiyasu on a free transfer and Mingueza after his contract at Celta Vigo expired.

There is also the possibility the Eagles could sell one or two members of their squad to generate funds and there has been interest in Brennan Johnson, who only joined the club in January.

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