Arsenal are hoping Jurrien Timber can be fit to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday, May 30, after Ben White was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
White, 28, was taken off in the first half of Sunday's 2-0 win at West Ham after a collision with Crysencio Summerville. Arsenal later said he had sustained a significant medial knee ligament injury, and that its medical team would manage his recovery and rehabilitation with the aim of having him ready for pre-season preparations.
That leaves Mikel Arteta short of options on the right side of defence at the exact point Arsenal need to keep winning. Timber, 24, has missed the last 12 matches after picking up an ankle injury in the 2-0 win against Everton in mid-March, and Arteta said the setback has been among the hardest issues he has had to deal with. “Yes, that's been probably the most difficult thing to manage,” he said, adding: “With the player and with myself as well because we didn't expect it to take so long and at the moment he's not fit to play.”
Arsenal were already covering for Timber before White went down. Arteta moved Declan Rice to right-back briefly against West Ham, then shifted Christian Mosquera there for the second half, and Mosquera is expected to continue in that role in the short term while Timber works back. The manager said Arsenal will not have a recognised senior right-back in the squad for at least their final two Premier League matches.
Those games carry real weight because Arsenal still need to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace if they are to win the title, while the club are also chasing their first Champions League crown. They last reached the final 20 years ago, when they were beaten by Barcelona in Paris. For now, the question is not whether Arsenal want Timber back in time. It is whether he can get there before the season’s biggest night asks for him.
