Jurrien Timber says he’s ready to solve key Arsenal problem after the international break

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Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber could well have given Mikel Arteta a potential solution to a problem that is on the horizon.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have started the season with two victories and a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion with Declan Rice sent off during the draw against Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

Arteta was fuming with the decision to dismiss Rice and this second yellow card means he will miss the Gunners’ game against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.

Arsenal certainly have options to replace Rice but there could well be another potential solution on the table for the Spaniard provided by Dutch defender Jurrien Timber.

Jurrien Timber provides Declan Rice solution

The Dutch defender missed the majority of last season following a knee injury he suffered during the victory over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium in August of 2023.

The defender has started two games for the Gunners so far, coming off the bench in the opening Premier League game against Wolves.

Despite the limited game time after his recovery from injury, Timber was called up to the Dutch national side by Ronald Koeman. He could feature for the Oranje in the upcoming Nations League games.

The defender has been speaking to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf about his return and has dropped a hint about his versatility and this could prove to be a welcomed boost for Arteta.

When speaking about the solid centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba, Timber said: “The centre at Arsenal consists of Saliba and Gabriel. Where I play does not matter to me as long as I play.

“I can do well there and the national coach can also put me there. It is a really nice position and I also play a lot in midfield. I now have to play a lot of minutes and it helps that I am multifunctional.”

Timber could be an interesting midfield option for Arsenal

Whether Arteta would risk playing Timber, who has featured just twice since his return from injury, is another question entirely.

The Dutchman certainly has the ability on the ball to play in that deep-lying role but it would be a risk for Arteta against a Tottenham side who have certainly looked dangerous on the attack under Ange Postecoglou.

A midfield three of Timber, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard would certainly be left-field but it could be a stroke of genius from Arsenal boss Arteta.