Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has provided insight into the club’s summer transfer ambitions, hinting at a wave of new arrivals following an injury-plagued campaign. Timber, who joined from Ajax in 2023, missed much of his debut season due to a serious cruciate ligament injury but returned late in the 2023/24 campaign and featured regularly last term.
The Gunners endured a string of fitness setbacks across all departments, including lengthy spells on the sidelines for Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus.
At one stage, the situation was so dire that midfielder Mikel Merino had to be deployed as a striker after Havertz suffered a hamstring tear in February. Timber, speaking on the Matchday podcast, confirmed that Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team are working hard to ensure the squad has the depth to compete across all fronts.
With those lessons in mind, Arsenal have already begun strengthening. The signing of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi is expected to be confirmed shortly after the Spanish midfielder landed in London this week.
A new winger and a centre forward are next on the priority list, while another midfield addition could arrive if Thomas Partey departs as a free agent. Arsenal manager Arteta is reportedly keen to bolster every area of the pitch, with fitness depth a crucial focus after key players were unavailable for large portions of last season.
The Gunners finished the campaign without silverware but retained Champions League football, underlining the need for a deeper squad capable of sustaining success across four competitions.
Timber’s comments reflect the club’s ambition to correct past issues. The goal now is to provide Arteta with a squad less vulnerable to disruption and more capable of mounting a consistent title challenge.