Arsenal suffer another injury blow with Jurrien Timber set for surgery and a doubt to be ready for NEXT season
JURRIEN TIMBER is set to undergo an ankle operation — and is now in a race to be fit for the start of next season.
The Arsenal full-back has been struggling for fitness in recent weeks and has been advised by the club's medical team to go under the knife.
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His last game was the 2-1 Champions League semi-final defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on May 7, missing the 2-2 draw at Liverpool and Sunday's 1-0 home win over Newcastle.
The hope is the Dutchman will be in the best position to hit the ground running next term as he targets a return for the start of the Gunners' pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong from July 19.
But he joins a long list of players on the club's injury list.
Although Kai Havertz made his return from a hamstring injury on Sunday, defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu and striker Gabriel Jesus are still out of action, while William Saliba was subbed off at half-time against Toon with a thigh problem.
Timber has been one of Mikel Arteta's most consistent and impressive performers this term, playing 48 times.
He joined the club from Ajax for £34.5million in the summer of 2023, but missed most of that season after rupturing his ACL in the opening game.
Ben White is now set to start at right-back for the final Prem game at Southampton on Sunday.
Meanwhile, boss Arteta is preparing for a ruthless summer of incomings and outgoings this summer, having called on the Arsenal board to 'do what they have to do' by providing funds, with £60m-valued Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres a priority.
Arteta revealed that he will lose 'four or five' members of a squad that he recently admitted was short of numbers at the start of the season.
Those 'four or five' include two loanees — Bournemouth keeper Neto and Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling.
Mikel Arteta will be sacked by Christmas if Arsenal are not in top two, warns former Gunners star
Sterling is not expected to be extending his time at Arsenal, but remains in the dark over his future, with a lack of communication from parent club Chelsea.
His loan has been viewed as a let-down, and Arteta has already moved on from the 30-year-old, opting against bringing him on against Newcastle.
While Ethan Nwaneri, 18, has proved he can provide back-up for Saka on the right wing, Arteta will push to sign a left winger this summer, which will threaten starting spots for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Should top target Nico Williams — who has a £50m release clause — be signed from Athletic Bilbao, then Trossard could be moved on to raise funds, with the Belgian having just one year left on his current contract and heavily linked to a Saudi move.
Kieran Tierney's return to Celtic should be completed soon, with his deal expiring at the end of the term, while fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has drawn interest from Borussia Dortmund after losing his place to academy star Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Ukrainian's influence in the dressing room and positional flexibility is valued by Arteta, but again, with 12 months left on the 28-year-old's deal, this could be a chance to cash in on a player they spent £35m on from City in 2022.
Jorginho, 33, is understood to have already said his goodbyes, with his contract soon up and a chance to return to his birthplace Brazil to see out the rest of his career.
And fellow midfielder Thomas Partey is in a similar position, but sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to be keen to explore a contract extension for the 31-year-old, even with a £51m deal agreed for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.
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