Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that Ben White will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, a blow that leaves the Gooners waiting to see whether Jurriën Timber can return in time for the biggest match of the campaign. White’s problem is expected to rule him out of the World Cup, and Mikel Arteta said he must “wait and see” on the summer.
The immediate effect is simple: Arsenal have fewer options at right-back just as the season reaches its sharpest turn. Cristhian Mosquera is expected to fill in against Burnley on Monday night, while Riccardo Calafiori, who went off injured last Sunday at West Ham, is back in training and remains another possibility. Calafiori also played at right-back in the second half of Arsenal’s win over PSG in last year’s league stage, a reminder of how quickly Arteta has had to reshuffle that side of the pitch.
Timber’s return remains the more important storyline. The Netherlands defender has not played since Arsenal’s win over Everton on 14 March because of a groin issue, and he was understood to have been close to coming back at the end of last month before a setback pushed him back again. Arteta said Timber has “progressed a little bit in the last few days; he’s feeling better,” and added that there is a chance he could face PSG. He was blunt about the uncertainty, saying he cannot tell how big that chance is, but that Timber will try to “do everything he can” to make it.
That matters because Arsenal are trying to hold together a five-point lead while protecting bodies for a decisive run. The manager’s latest update also suggested the squad is still absorbing the demands of the season one match at a time. Arteta said Timber’s target is to be in contention for the Champions League final on 27 May, but the defender’s fitness has repeatedly shifted over the past few weeks, and the club has already learned how fragile its right side can be when one player after another drops out.
There was also a sign on Tuesday that the mood around the club is being shaped by more than injuries. Arsenal supporters’ group REDaction is again planning to welcome the team coach before the Burnley game, after thousands of fans turned out before the Champions League semi-final victory over Atlético Madrid. Arteta said he did not watch Manchester City’s win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday because he was at a sponsors’ event, but he said the atmosphere created by supporters had helped his players. “It builds an energy connection with them that we haven’t experienced before,” he said.
For Arsenal, the challenge now is as much about holding the line as finding the next full-back. White is out, Timber is still a doubt and Calafiori is only just back in training. That leaves Burnley first, PSG next and a season-defining question hanging over the back four: whether Arteta can keep patching the right side long enough for the rest of the team to finish the job.
