Arsenal injury news arrived with a mixture of hope and fresh setbacks on Thursday: Jurriën Timber has a chance of being fit for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on 27 May, manager Mikel Arteta said, even as the club confirmed Ben White will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Timber has not played since Arsenal’s win over Everton on 14 March because of a groin issue and was thought to be close to returning at the end of last month before suffering a setback. Arteta said Timber “has progressed a little bit in the last few days; he’s feeling better,” and added, “We’re going to try to get him available as quickly as possible.”
The immediate scale of the problem for Arsenal was made plain on Tuesday when the club announced White’s knee injury would keep him out for the remainder of the season and is expected to rule him out of the World Cup. That loss leaves the squad short of options at right-back: Timber has been absent, White is gone for the season, and other defensive choices are under strain.
Arteta underlined the fragile balance the club faces. He warned, “There is a chance. But how big that chance is, I cannot tell you. I’m being completely honest. He’s going to try to do everything he can to convert that chance as high as possible in the shortest possible period.” The manager also said of Timber: “He’s such an important player for us, we all know that.”
There are, however, other pieces that may plug the gap. Riccardo Calafiori went off injured last Sunday at West Ham but was back in training before the Burnley match, though Arteta said on Thursday morning that Calafiori’s availability for Monday night’s trip to Burnley remained uncertain and that “we don't know whether he's going to be available or not.” With that uncertainty, Cristhian Mosquera is expected to fill in at right-back on Monday night.
Arteta stressed the club will proceed carefully. “We still have days ahead. Hopefully it's nothing serious but we will have to wait and see how he reacts,” he said, adding later, “We're going to try to get him fit and available as quick as possible but let's see.” Those words followed confirmation that Timber was at the London Stadium on Sunday before Arsenal’s match against West Ham and that he stood on the pitch ahead of kick-off as his team-mates warmed up around him; Arteta noted that Timber “wanted to be very close to the team [against West Ham].”
The tension is clear: Timber has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers this season, and his return would ease pressure created by White’s long-term absence. But Arteta would not give more than the slender possibility of Timber playing in a match that could be decided on 27 May. “We don't know whether he's going to be available or not,” he repeated, and warned that any decision will depend on how Timber responds in the coming days.
For now the decisive image is small and human — Timber on the London Stadium turf, not in the lineup, pushing for fitness — and, in Arteta’s words, “He’s doing everything that he possibly can to help the team in any capacity.” Whether that effort turns a slim chance into a selection for the Champions League final remains the unanswered, high-stakes question for Arsenal.
