4 implications of Jurrien Timber’s significant injury

Liking a player in pre-season and losing him after only one match is tough.

Jurrien Timber looked like a serious player in pre-season after he signed from Ajax for a bargain price in July. He was going to add depth, power, and versatility to the Arsenal backline. That was until he injured his knee in the first match of the Premier League season.

It wasn’t apparent what actually caused the injury. Right before half-time on Saturday, he was shown a yellow card for a challenge that he ended up feeling the brunt of. It looked then that he should have been subbed off. However, Timber emerged for the second half before going down again just a few minutes in.

Non-contact injuries are often the most concerning, and Arsenal confirmed the pessimistic updates that surfaced regarding Timber’s injury status on Monday. He’s going to be out for a while, but the full extent of his injury isn’t yet clear.

4 implications of Jurrien Timber’s significant injury

It is a massive blow to a team that’s currently missing their main striker, but what does Timber’s injury in isolation mean for Arsenal’s 2023/24 campaign?

1. Reduces defensive depth

Two important injuries to the Gunners already and it’s not even September. Maybe it’s not time to panic, but losing Timber certainly hurts the depth of Arsenal.

They are in four competitions and a constant move within the rotation was certainly going to benefit the normal starting XI with Timber capable of performing across the back four.

His work with the ball was set to add another layer to Arsenal’s build-up, while his recovery speed and athleticism would’ve aided the Gunners in defensive transition. In the absence of Timber, there’s no doubt that Arsenal’s backline is more vulnerable from a depth perspective, but Mikel Arteta still has several options, especially at left-back.

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