Arsenal have had to deal with persistent injury issues this season.
The likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino have all spent multiple months on the sidelines with various fitness problems.
Mikel Arteta has been criticised for what he’s delivered this campaign, but the Spaniard has ultimately had to deal with an unprecedented volume of serious injuries, which have undoubtedly derailed the Gunners.
With just one fixture left to play, the Arsenal boss has now been dealt yet another damaging injury blow, which is likely to impact next season.
- READ MORE: Arsenal are now ready to sell their ‘incredible’ player for a £10m profit, Antonio Conte wants him
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber set to undergo ankle surgery
Jurrien Timber has been described as ‘incredible’ this season, producing a ridiculously consistent level throughout the year, despite returning from a harrowing ACL injury last season.
Making 48 appearances, scoring twice and registering four assists, Timber has arguably been one of Arsenal’s player of the season contenders.
However, the Dutchman is now set to spend a protracted period on the sidelines.
According to journalist Sam Dean, Timber is set to undergo ankle surgery at the end of this season.
The right-back has been managing the injury in recent weeks, and an executive decision has been made by Arsenal’s medical staff to address the problem by operating as soon as possible.
It’s unclear what the impact of the procedure will be regarding the player’s return date, although it would be a surprise to see him return in time for the start of pre-season.
Arsenal might need to sign a right-sided defender this summer
Arsenal have excellent depth defensively, yet this Timber injury might prompt the Gunners to move for a right-sided defender in the transfer window.
The former Ajax man could even miss a significant chunk of next season, depending on the nature of his surgery, which would leave Arsenal seriously short in this area.
William Saliba and White cannot play every minute of every match, while Takehiro Tomiyasu’s fitness prospects don’t look encouraging moving forward.
Arsenal were interested in signing Dean Huijsen before he opted to join Real Madrid, which suggests that this was an area of concern for the Emirates hierarchy even prior to Timber’s injury.
Huijsen is the sort of profile that would make sense – a promising young defender who can develop alongside the likes of Saliba and White, but not demand a huge amount of minutes.
It remains to be seen who the options might be for Arsenal in this department, but they’ve likely got a shortlist in place already.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
