Timber back on the grass + Dutch striker linked

10 months ago 96

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Morning all, happy Friday to you.

It’s still very quiet, but there are a few bits and pieces we can focus on this morning. First up, Jurrien Timber’s rehab from his ACL injury continues, and he’s made a big step forward by being back out on the grass and training with the ball. Obviously that’s a very positive development, but I’d say there’s still some way to go before we see him in contention for a first team place.

I know there is always this thing with injured players, particularly during a difficult spell of form for a team, where their quality increases in direct proportion with the length of their absence. Still, he would unquestionably have been a real asset in the first half of the season, and although it’s likely to take some weeks yet to get him close to being ready, he could still play a part in the final part of the campaign. He might return and be rusty, or he might come back with fresh legs and a huge desire to play a part having missed so much of his debut campaign with Arsenal. Let’s hope it’s the latter.

We also saw Gabriel Jesus training, which has alleviated some worries I held when I heard about the knock he’d picked up ahead of the Liverpool game. When it was the same knee and they saw something on a scan, I was quite anxious about it, but fingers crossed it’s nothing serious. The fact he’s out there on the training pitch suggests we can relax a little bit. Not completely, but a bit.

Fabio Vieira, something of a forgotten man of this season, is out there too, as is Thomas Partey, but details of their potential return dates are still a bit vague. However, if those two return, with Takehiro Tomiyasu back in a couple of weeks from the Asian Cup (which kicks off for Japan in a couple of days), and Timber a bit further down the line, we could have a much stronger looking squad as things heat up domestically and in Europe.

Whether or not we add to it in January remains to be seen. I think we might do something, I’m just not quite sure what or when, but anyone expecting a big money signing or a big name arrival this month is likely to be disappointed – unless something extraordinary happens.

I thought this was interesting from Sam Dean in The Telegraph, a link to 22 year old Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee:

Arsenal are admirers of Joshua Zirkzee and are keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old striker. Bologna are believed to want around £50m so, as it stands, a January move is regarded as unlikely. One to watch. Story with @JBurtTelegraph #AFC https://t.co/CgZh1Rd8EW

— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) January 11, 2024

I don’t know a great deal about him to be honest, but my gut feeling when it comes to a striker arrival is that this profile of player is much more likely than Arsenal shelling out £100m+ for someone like Victor Osimhen, or a £70-80m summer splurge on a 28 year Ivan Toney. This is based on no inside information whatsoever by the way, just my own opinion that we’ll try and bring in a player who can develop into that kind of striker, rather than the finished article. I could be completely wrong, but I also think there are other things we’ll want to do this summer, and splashing a large percentage of the budget on one player might well have an impact on that. Time will tell!

Finally for today, there has been a bit of January transfer window action with Arsenal Women signing USA international defender Emily Fox – news brought to you first by Tim back in December. There’s also a departure with Kathrine Kuhl joining Everton on loan for the rest of the season.

We also continue to expand our coverage of Arsenal Women, and from Sunday onwards we’ll be carrying match reports for every game over on Arseblog News. As the site is 100% ad-free these days, we can only do this thanks to your continued support on Patreon. If you want extra content, and to help us deliver the best Arsenal content across all aspects of the club, it’s just over a fiver month and you can sign up here.

Right, let’s leave it there. Below you’ll find an Arsecast recording yesterday evening with Ryan Hunn of Stadio, all the links you need to listen/subscribe are there. Have a great Friday everyone.