If there was one thing that Jurrien Timber’s injury for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest taught us, or rather reminded us, was that a key player with little-to-no indication of an issue can become absent out of nowhere. The Dutch international needed to be aided off the field after an innocuous issue with some part of his leg which remains unclear prevented free movement.
Imagine another blow to William Saliba? No, I know, you do not want to but the potential for a repeat of last season is real.
Or worse. Bukayo Saka.
The England international is perhaps the most important player in the Arsenal squad and based on the depth in every position he is arguably the least supported with competitive options. Reiss Nelson and Leandro Trossard have both played on the right, Gabriel Jesus potentially too although he’s still recovering from injury himself, but there are question marks over the drop from their talismanic teammate.
This makes it somewhat odder to hear Mikel Arteta almost entirely dismiss the idea of further additions this summer. Speaking ahead of the game with Forest, he appeared to suggest contentment with the squad in its current form.
Arteta said: “At the moment we are not planning to do anything, but the window is very unpredictable and things can happen that probably we don’t wish for, so at the moment we are happy with what we’ve got.”
The injury to Timber is unlikely to spark a change in itself because the depth in the full-back areas is substantial. Although, football.london understands that a right-back hadn’t been entirely ruled out with interest in both Jeremie Frimpong and Ivan Fresneda.
Yet the main name mentioned in recent weeks has been Mohammed Kudus. Brighton had agreed on a fee with Ajax for the Ghanaian international but failed to sort out personal terms and the forward has continued to feature for the Dutch giants; whilst West Ham are now reportedly keen on the player should Lucas Paqueta move to Manchester City.
It’s clear that Kudus is open to a move to one of Europe’s top clubs, and his profile appears exactly what the Gunners need. A versatile forward of Champions League quality with experience at a World Cup and an age profile that suits the strategy to a tee.
Yet, so far beyond Arsenal being mentioned loosely, there has been little-to-no movement on the club side. Were Saka to face a spell on the sidelines, having a Kudus or an alternative of similar quality and characteristics in the squad, would surely soften the blow far more than the existing options?
