Arteta Reveals Office Meeting With Ben White and Jurriën Timber

Mikel Arteta spoke highly of both of Arsenal’s right-backs ahead of the Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest. Jurriën Timber scored his first goal of the season in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Two separate injuries meant that Timber missed six months of football from March to September. An ankle injury in March kept him sidelined for two months before he was rushed back for the Champions League final in late May. The Dutchman then suffered a groin injury which ruled him out of the World Cup and meant he missed Arsenal’s first five games of this season.

A problem that has plagued Arteta since 2023 has been the lack of availability in both his preferred right-backs at the same time. Timber suffered a heartbreaking ACL injury in his first Premier League game for Arsenal which forced Ben White to play over 50 games for Arsenal in the 2023/24 season. The next season saw the opposite effect as Timber played 48 times for the Gunners as White suffered with injuries throughout the year. Last season was similar again. It felt like most weeks there was a rotation between the two as to who was fit and who was injured.

However, Arteta finally finds himself in the desired situation, with both Timber and White fit and available for selection. Arteta was full of praise for both players in not only their ability on the pitch but also their attitude and the relationship both players have struck up.

'I just had the two of them in my office, reviewing the game. The way they talked to each other, respect each other and like each other is just a joy. That’s why when somebody plays the other one has to support him, that’s what we need because with the amount of games we play it cannot be different,' Arteta revealed.

White in particular has made a remarkable start to the season. He has started in five of Arsenal’s opening six Premier League matches, providing two assists in that time. The only league game White hasn’t started in was the 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break. Performance hasn’t always been the issue for White over the past couple of seasons but rather availability and consistency. So far this season he has looked fresh and back to his physical best.

Having both Timber and White fit at the same time will be exactly what Arteta has been hoping for this whole time. Both players offer different qualities and possess different skillsets. Speaking on what Timber brings specifically, he said, 'When he’s physically at his best, he’s an unbelievable player, a player that can really transform your way of attacking and that aggression that he has in the defending part of the game. He’s a real character on that pitch so great to have him at that level.'

The option to rotate and pick freely between the two players has not been afforded to Arteta yet, but now we may start to see either player picked more carefully and specifically for what the game calls for. The Spaniard may finally have the freedom to choose based on qualities rather than fitness.