JURRIEN TIMBER is set to undergo an ankle operation — and is now in a race to be fit for the start of next season.
The Arsenal full-back has been struggling for fitness in recent weeks and has been advised by the club’s medical team to go under the knife.
His last game was the 2-1 Champions League semi-final defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on May 7, missing the 2-2 draw at Liverpool and Sunday’s 1-0 home win over Newcastle.
The hope is the Dutchman will be in the best position to hit the ground running next term as he targets a return for the start of the Gunners’ pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong from July 19.
But he joins a long list of players on the club’s injury list.
Although Kai Havertz made his return from a hamstring injury on Sunday, defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu and striker Gabriel Jesus are still out of action, while William Saliba was subbed off at half-time against Toon with a thigh problem.
Timber has been one of Mikel Arteta’s most consistent and impressive performers this term, playing 48 times.
He joined the club from Ajax for £34.5million in the summer of 2023, but missed most of that season after rupturing his ACL in the opening game.
Ben White is now set to start at right-back for the final Prem game at Southampton on Sunday.
Meanwhile, boss Arteta is preparing for a ruthless summer of incomings and outgoings this summer, having called on the Arsenal board to “do what they have to do” by providing funds, with £60m-valued Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres a priority.
Arteta revealed that he will lose “four or five” members of a squad that he recently admitted was short of numbers at the start of the season.
Those “four or five” include two loanees — Bournemouth keeper Neto and Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling.
Sterling is not expected to be extending his time at Arsenal, but remains in the dark over his future, with a lack of communication from parent club Chelsea.
His loan has been viewed as a let-down, and Arteta has already moved on from the 30-year-old, opting against bringing him on against Newcastle.
While Ethan Nwaneri, 18, has proved he can provide back-up for Saka on the right wing, Arteta will push to sign a left winger this summer, which will threaten starting spots for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Should top target Nico Williams — who has a £50m release clause — be signed from Athletic Bilbao, then Trossard could be moved on to raise funds, with the Belgian having just one year left on his current contract and heavily linked to a Saudi move.
Kieran Tierney’s return to Celtic should be completed soon, with his deal expiring at the end of the term, while fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has drawn interest from Borussia Dortmund after losing his place to academy star Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Ukrainian’s influence in the dressing room and positional flexibility is valued by Arteta, but again, with 12 months left on the 28-year-old’s deal, this could be a chance to cash in on a player they spent £35m on from City in 2022.
Jorginho, 33, is understood to have already said his goodbyes, with his contract soon up and a chance to return to his birthplace Brazil to see out the rest of his career.
And fellow midfielder Thomas Partey is in a similar position, but sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to be keen to explore a contract extension for the 31-year-old, even with a £51m deal agreed for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
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