Jurrien Timber Set for Arsenal Comeback Before Sunderland Clash
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Jurrien Timber is on the brink of an Arsenal comeback, handing the champions a timely lift before their trip to Sunderland.
The Dutch defender has not played a competitive minute for the Gunners since last season’s Champions League final, but he travelled with the squad for the 1-0 win away to Napoli in midweek and has been back in full training.
“Let’s see,” Arteta said when asked if Timber could feature at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening. “We have another training session today. He’s been training with us for a few days. Let’s see.”
Timber’s return would thicken Arsenal’s options in defence at a time when Arteta’s side are trying to maintain a perfect start to their Premier League title defence. They edged Chelsea 2-1 last weekend to make it three wins from three, and followed that up with a hard-fought victory in Italy.
Arteta also delivered an update on Cristhian Mosquera, who has missed the wins over Chelsea and Napoli after taking a knock. The Arsenal manager said the defender is doing “really well”, but hinted that the weekend might come too soon for him.
Ben White, who was substituted in Naples, is understood to be fine, leaving William Saliba and potentially Mosquera as the only likely absentees for the Sunderland clash.
Arteta knows, though, that a strong squad on paper guarantees nothing at the Stadium of Light.
Memories of Sunderland sting
Arsenal’s last visit to Sunderland still stings. An 11-match winning run ended there in November with a chaotic 2-2 draw, sealed by Brian Brobbey’s injury-time equaliser after the visitors had fought back from behind to lead.
“Last year we dropped points there and in the last minute,” Arteta said. “We experienced and learned a lot from that game.”
The lesson was clear: switch off for a moment, and you pay.
This time, Arteta wants control, not chaos. He spoke of detailed preparation and a clear plan to manage Sunderland’s threat.
“Tomorrow we will discuss many things we want to be aware of and where we want to take the game and how to nullify their strengths,” he said.
Arsenal arrive as defending champions, perfect so far, with a key defender close to returning and the memory of a late punch in the same fixture still fresh. The response now will say plenty about how ruthless this title defence can become.
