Jurrien Timber has had a tough start to life at the Emirates; he was only minutes into his Arsenal debut, only to end up being forced out due to injury. The Dutch tactician missing Arsenal’s games in the next few months could blow Arteta’s plans.
Rumours are swirling around that the Gunners could be looking for another defender. But one may ask: Are Arsenal in need of another defensive reinforcement? In his Caught Offside column, the Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson suggests that Arsenal may not be desperate to recruit another defender. The France-based football expert suggested dismissing Joules Kounde’s possible move to Arsenal.
He said: “There was speculation surrounding Jules Kounde’s future at Barcelona earlier this summer, and with Jurrien Timber’s injury at Arsenal, links have resurfaced about Mikel Arteta possibly trying to bring the Frenchman to the Emirates Stadium.
“However, I would be surprised if the Gunners rush back into the market despite this setback. The defence seems fairly well stacked, and although Kounde is a quality and versatile player, he has a price tag to match, and Arsenal have already spent a fair bit this summer.”
From Johnson’s claims, I’m forced to consider Arsenal’s defensive backups, and I can agree there are good options for Arteta to survive without the Dutch international. At right back we have Ben White, Thomas Partey, and Tomiyasu are options. At left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior (and Tomiyasu) are options. Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White, and Kiwior are options at central defence.
Yes, the Arsenal defence will miss Timber, but they can do without replacing him, so they need not be desperate to get his replacement. If they are to get his replacement, they need to do it only if they get the right one; if not, there’s no need.
Daniel O
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