Arsenal are on the hunt for their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season, with Mikel Arteta ready to entertain another charge.
After a shaky few years with Arteta at the helm, the Gunners announced themselves as challengers for the Premier League title in the 2022/23 campaign.
That season, all was going well for Arsenal until the final hurdle, as Arteta’s side crumbled on the home straight to see Manchester City win the league by five points.
Last term provided a similar outcome but with opposing circumstances, as great improvement was seen from the North Londoners to narrow the gap between the top two to just two points.
Jurrien Timber’s injury cost Arsenal the Premier League last season
It was frustrating for Arsenal to walk away from the 2023/24 campaign without winning the league, given how solid the Gunners were from start to finish.
Keeping the best defensive record in the Premier League, Arteta’s side showed that they have structure at the back as well as being a force to be reckoned with going forward.
When revising Arsenal’s squad last season, there is one notable weakness, with Arteta not having a mirrored threat at fullback, as Ben White performed at a level not met by those rotated on the left side.
It was meant to be much different for the Gunners, who signed Jurrien Timber during the summer of 2023 to bolster the options on the left although, the Dutchman was unavailable for the entirety of the campaign.
Timber of course suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the opening fixture of the Premier League calendar, leaving Arteta with less desired resources to work with.
Between Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu, the boss found a way to physically fill the void left by Timber, but by no means did he replace the 23-year-old’s ability.
As a result, Arsenal were left to play the season with a glaring weakness on the left side of defence and Arteta was left with a sense of ‘what if’ with regard to Timber’s unavailability.
Timber has been one of Mikel Arteta’s best in 2024/25
It’s only taken Timber six games of the 2024/25 Premier League season to show Arteta just what he was missing last term.
The versatile defender is operating at a different level to those around him whether it be on the left or right side of the back four.
Against Leicester City, Timber was one of the starring players in the victory, showcasing a presence going forward that the Gunners have been deprived of to some extent in his absence.
Jurrien Timber’s statistics against Leicester City97 touches7 key passes93% passing accuracy 100% long balls completed6 duels won4 tackles1 assistFigures provided by SofascoreThe Foxes were no match for the Netherlands international, who not only put in a solid defensive shift, but also shone going forward, as highlighted by his monstrous seven key passes in 90 minutes.
In what has been an impressive start to the season for Arsenal, Timber has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers, reminding Arteta of what was missing from his squad.
The Dutchman adds an entirely fresh dimension to the favoured XI, with Timber having the potential to act as the key to Arsenal unlocking the door to the Premier League title.