It was one of the desired signings of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Defensive all-rounder Jurrien Timber can play any position in the back four, even though he is originally a stopper, so Arteta sent him to left back for the first two sharp matches. The ex-Ajax player played through the leg and still stood up in both cases, especially in the Community Shield final against City (2:1 after penalties) he was excellent in the defensive direction.
However, the Dutch international will not remember his debut in the Premier League with a smile on his face. When he fouled Nottingham Forest striker Brennan Johnson with a yellow card in the first half, he seriously injured himself. At halftime, the doctors were still trying to put him back together, so that he could substitute after a few minutes of the second half.
It was already clear at that moment that the twenty-two-year-old defender had problems with his knee. Detailed examinations were therefore awaited in order to find out how big the problem was, and the diagnosis did not look very positive. Anterior cruciate ligament injury and the need for surgery. Only when the subsequent surgery will reveal if the ligaments are completely torn, which would very likely mean the end of the season.
After the Ukrainian Zinchenko, Timber is another injured defender, and there is also speculation about the departure of fullback Kieran Tierney. So if Arteta wants to challenge City for the title in the English league, he will probably have to bring in a new defender. He doesn’t have much time for that, the Premier League transfer window ends in two weeks.
