Arsenal have just three games left in the Premier League as they continue to fight for the title, and will face Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners collapsed towards the end of the season in the title race last year, but this time they are still chasing Manchester City, and they need Pep Guardiola’s side to drop points in at least one game in order to give themselves a chance.
Unlike last season, Mikel Arteta now has a fully-fit squad at his disposal. Injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu derailed Arsenal’s campaign a year ago, but the finish line is now in sight and the Spaniard has the luxury of picking from his entire squad.
The last player to return was Jurrien Timber, who has been absent since the opening day after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament. Timber has now played twice for the under-23 side, and may be in contention to return to the squad for the Bournemouth clash.
Jurrien Timber could return to Arsenal squad for Bournemouth clash
There is now a strong chance that Timber could return to the matchday squad for Bournemouth’s visit to the Emirates, which comes 267 days since the Dutchman picked up the devastating injury on his Premier League debut.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Charles Watts revealed that Timber’s return is a real possibility this weekend.
“Jurrien Timber looks like he could well potentially be in the squad. Certainly he’s gonna be in the running to be in the first team match day squad for the first time since that opening weekend when he got the injury against Nottingham Forest,” he stated.
“Whilst Arsenal were playing at Spurs at the weekend, he was playing again for the under-23s, this time against Liverpool in a very good 2-1 win he got 45 minutes in the game against Blackburn, he got 71 minutes against Liverpool, and the belief is that he could well be in the squad for this weekend’s game.
“Even if he doesn’t get on the pitch, just to see him at the Emirates in a match day squad, warming up and down the touchline, can you imagine the reception he’s going to get from the Arsenal Fans, it’s going to be absolutely fantastic.”
READ MORE: Arsenal’s 25 most expensive transfers and record signings of all time
Should Jurrien Timber return to the Arsenal squad vs Bournemouth?
Although Timber may be ready to play in a short cameo, his return will need to be managed carefully, and whilst the pressure of the title race remains, he is perhaps unlikely to play significant minutes.
It would be a boost for him and the fans to see him return to the squad, but Arteta faces something of a positive dilemma in that with a fully fit squad, one player will have to drop out to make way for Timber.
Arteta may not want to remove a fully-fit defender in Jakub Kiwior or Oleksandr Zinchenko from his bench in favour of Timber, in case they are needed to make a bigger impact in the game than the summer signing is currently capable of.
Eddie Nketiah, who seems likely to leave for a fairly substantial fee in the summer, could be one to drop out to include Timber, given that Arsenal will have attackers in Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench anyway.
If he does not return against Bournemouth, the final game against Everton may be one he eyes up for minutes, but with the title race as tight as it currently is, Timber may be better off waiting for pre-season to make his comeback.