Nervous wait for Tottenham? £38.5m Arsenal signing eyes North London Derby debut
Tottenham Hotspur are set to face Arsenal in a highly anticipated North London Derby clash at the weekend, as Gunners full-back Jurrien Timber eyes a return to first-team football following his long-term absence.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insists that the North London derby may come too soon for Timber and remains hopeful that the Dutchman will feature for the North London Reds in some capacity this season.
Timber has been out of action since early August following a serious knee injury in the opening Premier League game of the campaign against Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal signed Timber in a highly anticipated transfer from Dutch side Ajax for £38.5 million, although the Gunners could not enjoy his services owing to an unfortunate injury. Eight months in, he is set to return for Arsenal, and it could be the boost an exhausted side would be looking for.
His return to fitness could be the difference between Arsenal winning the Premier League title and them going deep into the race. Mikel Arteta, in his pre-match press conference for Arsenal’s game against Chelsea, spoke about the possibility of watching Timber in the NLD. The Arsenal manager said (via. The Standard):
“That’s a quick step!
“Let’s see how he feels today. He has been training really well; he looks ready. He needs that exposure, and after that, we will assess whether that game comes at the right time or too fast. We will try to get him with us for the final games.”
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Timber returned to action after scoring a banger for the Arsenal U-21s today. Tottenham will be hoping that Sunday comes one game too early for Timber.
