Palace sign defender Tomiyasu after pre-season trial

What the report says

Crystal Palace have signed Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after he completed a successful pre-season trial, according to BBC Sport Football. The 27-year-old was a free agent after spending the second half of last season with Ajax and had also been in Japan’s squad for the World Cup this summer.

Tomiyasu arrives as Palace’s second addition under new manager Pierre Sage, following Oscar Mingueza. He can operate at full-back or centre-back, which gives Palace more defensive flexibility after the departure of first-choice centre-back Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea. The club did not announce the length of his contract.

BBC Sport reported that Palace have been looking to strengthen while also managing their spending under UEFA’s squad cost ratio rules, which place limits on wages, transfer fees and agent costs relative to club revenue. That financial backdrop helps explain why free transfers such as Tomiyasu’s can be attractive for clubs balancing squad rebuilding with European competition.

Tomiyasu previously made 84 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal between 2021 and 2025, and earlier played for Bologna and Sint-Truiden. Palace chairman Steve Parish said the defender brings experience at the highest levels of European and international football, while Tomiyasu said the club’s recent success helped persuade him to join.