The scariest news regarding the seriousness of Jurrien Timber’s injury was sent to Mikel Arteta earlier this week. The Netherlands international went over in a challenge with Brennan Johnson during his competitive Arsenal debut against Nottingham Forest, and as a result, he was eventually taken off the pitch.
Then, the following week, it was discovered that he had sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury that required surgery; earlier this week, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described what a blow his absence would be. Big blow. Particularly for him, having only recently joined the club,” he stated. “Having the injury he does is a major setback.
It’s for the team because we recruited him with clear goals, and it was obvious what he was bringing to the squad. He won’t be able to accomplish it this season for us, so it’s for the team. We must change. Unfortunately, these things occur, therefore we must go on.
When asked if Timber’s injury may affect his transfer plans, Arteta said, “I’m more concerned about the resources in the team to keep doing what we want to do. However, he indeed gave us a lot on both sides. But once more, things happen, and we must be ready for it.
Timber was bought to mostly play at right-back but has also seen action in the Community Shield match against Forest on the other flank. Oleksandr Zinchenko was primarily absent from the lineup because he was still recovering from an injury, but now that he is almost ready to play again, Arteta would probably prefer to put Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the right side of defense if a replacement were to be purchased.
One possibility was Benjamin Pavard, who was ready to leave Bayern Munich and whose potential new team appeared to be Inter. The 27-year-old has made a full about-face by deciding to remain at Allianz Arena, albeit that stance might alter once more if a Premier League club expresses significant interest.
Ivan Fresneda, a star for Real Sociedad, has been a longtime target of Arsenal since Arteta’s tactics work well with his ability to invert. Although there haven’t been any links in recent weeks, they may resume now that Timber has been diagnosed and Fabrizio Romano thinks he can leave Sociedad for between £8.6 million and £10.3 million (€10 to €12 million).
