In anticipation of the start of the new Premier League season, a lot of Arsenal fans are looking forward to the new additions.
As of right now, the Gunners have only added David Raya to their roster permanently. They have not yet added any other players. Bologna defender Ricardo Calafiori is one player who is anticipated to be acquired in the next few days. Arteta declined to address the player’s specific situation following Wednesday’s friendly against Bournemouth.
Jurrien Timber is one player who will essentially function as a new arrival in his own right, despite Arsenal’s limited transfer market transactions thus far.
After sustaining a severe ACL injury on the first day of the 2023–24 season, the Dutch defender was sidelined for the whole season and only played 21 minutes in the season finale against Everton.
The full-back, who had shown encouraging signs during his first-team debut for the club in last year’s Community Shield before suffering a devastating injury one week later, has thus had a difficult road to recovery.
If Timber hadn’t gone through this terrible incident, there’s a good chance the former Ajax player would have become Arteta’s first choice, keeping players like Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior off the team.
Having only made three senior-level appearances for the team, Timber will feel like a new player at the beginning of the 2024–2025 season, ready to make his mark at the second time of asking. The 23-year-old might have been added to the mix as Arsenal fought for the championship in April and May, but Arteta finally decided not to take this chance as the defender got closer to being fit again.
Arteta stated in a statement at the end of April that “we will see better where he is, how he feels, after he plays a game with the under-21s.” He looks great in training, but this is the final stretch. We must be certain that he is prepared to leave.”
On the last day against Everton, Timber made his eagerly anticipated return, coming on as a substitute, just as Arsenal was about to lose the title to Manchester City. Arteta recently stated on the team’s official website, “It is not easy to come to a big club like here and start to set expectations with his performances and then on day one in the Premier League you are out for the season.” Arteta expressed excitement about the possibility of his “leader” being healthy and available once more. He is a really tough boy, though, mentally.
“It’s evident from his actions and body language how willing he is. He has put in so much work, and I believe that he is currently in a really good place. We are thrilled about the prospect of managing him in the upcoming weeks, especially since the workload he has been able to accomplish in the last few months differs greatly from that of the next two weeks.
“He is the boss. He enjoys being the center of attention and is involved in all we do. He has great vocal ability and technical skill. He is a fantastic asset to the group.
