Arsenal’s new signing Jurrien Timber went off injured during his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest and the Gunners have confirmed he has suffered an ACL injury.
This is an extremely cruel blow for Timber, one of Arsenal’s big-money signings this summer.
The Dutchman was injured in a challenge late in the first half but he reappeared for the second half. However, the summer signing from Ajax didn’t last much longer.
Timber went down and received treatment on what looked like his right knee before coming off as the versatile defender was playing at left back and had settled in very well. Takehiro Tomiyasu, also a right back, came on and replaced Timber.
Mikel Arteta brought in Timber as someone who can play at center back, right back, left back and even in midfield which gives Arsenal plenty of extra flexibility. Unfortunately Timber won’t be around for much of the season to provide that.
Latest injury update on Timber
Arsenal have released a statement on Timber’s injury and didn’t provide a timeline for his return. It is widely expected Timber will miss most of the 2023-24 season.
“Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien Timber has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time. The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”
Speaking about the injury to Timber, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could not hide his disappointment.
“It’s a huge blow, especially for him having just joined the club to have the injury that he has is a huge disappointment for him. Obviously for the team, it’s a big blow because we recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident, and he’s not going to be in this season for us. We have to adapt, these things happen unfortunately, and we have to move on,” Arteta said.
“Jurrien been very good, to be honest, he’s a special character, he knows, and I think he’s started to realise the extent of the injury and the amount of time that he’s going to be out, but he’s in a good place. We are all willing to him help and we are all very close to him, but it’s going to be a long journey.”
Will Arsenal make a move in the transfer market?
Arteta didn’t rule out bringing in someone else to help deal with the blow of losing Timber but also added that he expects current members of the squad to step up and fill the gap: “I am more thinking about the resources that we have within the team to keep doing what we want to do. It’s true that [Jurrien] was giving us very different things in terms of what we could do on both sides, but again, these things happen, and we have to be prepared for that. It’s an opportunity for everybody. We’re going to need everybody, and everybody is going to be important. The numbers that we have in the squad, especially in those positions are more limited now, so everybody has to be ready.”
Arteta spoke about the fitness of Timber after the game on Saturday and said that the team doctor told him that Timber was okay to come out and play in the second half. That had led to a little bit of confusion as clearly Timber was 100 percent fit and ready to get back out there.
“The physio and the doctors looked at him and were happy to continue. Straight away in the second half, he made a movement and it felt funny,” Arteta told reporters.
Arsenal are now without a key player who added considerable depth and flexibility to their defensive options.