JUST IN Arsenal handed worrying Jurrien Timber injury update as Mikel Arteta considers options in January
Arsenal may have to dip into the transfer market in January for defensive reinforcements, with Jurrien Timber very unlikely to make a comeback in time to affect the 2023/24 season.
Timber underwent surgery after picking up an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in August. The injury came as an untimely cruel blow to the Dutch defender, who was making his Premier League debut following a £38.5million transfer from Ajax in July.
The 22-year-old was signed for his versatility across the backline and offered Mikel Arteta options at centre-back and in both full-back positions. Arsenal have not put a timeframe on his recovery, with the original statement saying the intention was simply to “ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible” – and a report from the Netherlands suggests it could be some time before he returns.
ACL injuries are one of the worst injuries a footballer can sustain and, as such, Dutch outlet AD reports there is little chance Timber is back in time to stake a claim to play at Euro 2024 for his country. The newspaper believes he could even be sidelined until pre-season for the 2024/25 campaign, with Arsenal keen not to rush him back and risk a recurrence.
Euro 2024 kicks off in Germany on June 14 and Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman will have to name his squad well in advance. Timber has earned 15 caps for his country and started four games at the World Cup last winter.
Arsenal spent over £200m in the transfer window to bring in Timber, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and David Raya. The loss of Timber on his first Premier League start came as a major blow to Arteta’s plans for the season and forced the Arsenal manager to adapt.
“It is a huge blow. Especially for him after just joining the club. We recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident,” Arteta said in August. “I’m more thinking about the resources in the team to do what we want to do. But it’s true he was giving us a lot on both sides.”
The Gunners ended up not finding a replacement in the last few weeks of the summer transfer window, but could look for new players in January due to the prognosis on Timber. “I cannot control anything that is not here,” Arteta said in the summer. “And we are always open and we have to be open and react if something happens, not only with an injury but with the market as well – and that’s what we are doing.”
Having sent Kieran Tierney out on loan, Arsenal are short of options at full-back, where Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko – and the unwanted Cedric Soares – are the only specialists in the squad. Ben White has made right-back his own, but Arteta may want to sign more depth when the window opens in the New Year.
