Arsenal's midfield solution, Jurrien Timber boost and January transfers

2 years ago

The Chris Wheatley Show is a brand new weekly series talking all things Arsenal and the Premier League. This week, Chris Wheatley and host Jason Jones reveal all about the January transfer window, Jurrien Timber and much more.

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - Hello, welcome to another episode

00:05 of the Chris Wheatley Show,

00:06 Shots TV's one-stop shop to keep you in the know

00:09 on all things Arsenal.

00:10 I'm your host, Jason Jones,

00:12 and I'm joined as always by Chris Wheatley.

00:14 This week, we'll be talking Urien Timbers'

00:16 potential return from injury.

00:18 We'll be looking at possible transfer alternatives

00:20 for the Gunners this January.

00:21 And as always, we'll be putting your listener questions

00:23 to Chris as well.

00:25 So without further ado, Chris,

00:27 continue to get through on this Monday morning.

00:29 We'll start with some, well, potentially good news

00:32 for the Gunners.

00:33 Urien Timber, obviously we know he picked up

00:34 that horrendous knee injury on the opening weekend

00:37 of the Premier League season,

00:38 but it seems as if he's potentially

00:42 sort of moving towards full fitness again.

00:44 - Yeah, some really big news for Urien Timber,

00:48 as you said, Jason.

00:49 I think a lot of Arsenal fans

00:51 have been waiting to see him play.

00:53 He's only played one game for the club.

00:54 It was that opening game of the season

00:56 against Nottingham Forest,

00:58 where he suffered that unfortunate ACL injury.

01:01 And he's been out since,

01:02 but now the signs are positive.

01:05 He is now back in doing light ball work in Dubai

01:09 on Arsenal's winter training camp.

01:12 And I don't know about you, Jason,

01:14 I wouldn't mind a winter training camp in Dubai right now.

01:17 Minus one here in the UK, absolutely freezing,

01:20 but the Arsenal players are certainly enjoying themselves

01:23 while also preparing for that Crystal Palace game

01:27 coming up on January the 20th.

01:29 So Urien Timber, good news for him.

01:32 Great to see him almost back.

01:35 There's still a long road to recovery.

01:38 Still needs to get back to full fitness, of course,

01:41 but it's a big step that he's now doing light ball work.

01:44 And I think Mikel Arteta will be hoping

01:47 to get him back sooner rather than later.

01:50 - I mean, it almost feels like an unusually speedy recovery.

01:54 We see that sort of injury all the time

01:57 and it tends to be a season ender,

02:00 even if it does happen so early in the season.

02:02 I mean, this is, like you say,

02:04 he has still got quite a long way to go

02:05 before he's back in the first team,

02:07 but it's quite remarkable how well he is recovering.

02:10 - It is, I think that's testament to the medical staff

02:15 and also, of course, Timber himself

02:17 being able to go through his rehab at such a fairly fast speed.

02:24 And I think when you look at Arsenal as well,

02:27 their position, the right back position,

02:29 I think it's maybe an area

02:30 where they've struggled a little bit this season

02:32 because Ben White has played there at times.

02:35 They don't really have a very strong backup

02:39 in Cedric Suarez.

02:40 I don't think he's maybe that world-class right back

02:44 that can come in for Ben White.

02:47 But Jürgen Timber is the man, really,

02:50 that I think Arsenal fans have been waiting to see

02:52 for a long time.

02:53 So, yeah, it is really good that he's on his way back.

02:57 Of course, Arsenal don't want to rush him, though,

03:00 and they don't want the fans to think

03:02 that he's going to be rushed back.

03:03 So I do think it's just a case now

03:07 of waiting for him to be back in the first team.

03:10 And I'm sure that Arsenal have got

03:12 maybe a few exhibition games,

03:14 or Premier games planned for him

03:16 before he does come back into that first team forward.

03:18 - Like you say, we obviously haven't seen a great deal of him

03:22 in an Arsenal shirt.

03:23 He played in the Community Shield.

03:25 He played part of that game on the opening weekend.

03:27 But what we have seen in an Arsenal shirt is,

03:31 it looked largely positive.

03:32 He looked as if he could be a player

03:34 who really could come in

03:35 and potentially make that right back spot his own this season.

03:38 - Yeah, absolutely.

03:41 I think he is a really talented player.

03:43 Arsenal paid fairly big money for him from Ajax.

03:46 He's a player as well who can really offer a lot

03:51 in the attacking sense.

03:52 But I think defensively, he's very solid as well.

03:55 We know there was quite a few clubs

03:56 after his signature in the summer.

03:58 Man United was certainly one of those.

04:00 So yeah, he's a player that a lot of clubs

04:03 were looking at last summer.

04:05 And I think Arsenal managed to win the race

04:08 for his signature because of Mikael Arteta.

04:10 And that is certainly one of the reasons

04:14 why Arteta is desperate to see him back.

04:16 So yeah, it is good news.

04:18 Of course, I didn't mention Takahiro Tomiyasu there

04:22 as Arsenal's potential right back option.

04:25 Yeah, maybe easy to forget about Tomiyasu

04:28 because he was a regular starter last season,

04:31 but he's kind of fallen to the wayside recently.

04:35 But that Yuri and Timba injury actually opened up

04:37 a bit of potential game time for him.

04:40 So yeah, Tomiyasu is currently away, of course,

04:42 with Japan at the Asian Cup.

04:44 But I do think that Arsenal,

04:46 Arsenal's first choice right back

04:49 is gonna be Yuri and Timba.

04:50 But Tomiyasu, of course, is certainly

04:53 not a bad replacement to have.

04:54 And then Cedric as well, as we mentioned,

04:56 is also an option.

04:58 - You mentioned Takahiro Tomiyasu,

05:02 who obviously is away at the Asian Cup.

05:04 AFCon is happening right now as well.

05:07 Mohamed Elneny, obviously away with Egypt.

05:10 Two players who, like you say, Chris,

05:12 potentially haven't had the greatest impacts

05:15 on the first team so far this season,

05:16 but two players who Arsenal fans

05:18 will likely be keeping an eye on this one.

05:20 - Yeah, I think I wouldn't be doing them a disservice

05:25 by saying Mohamed Elneny in particular

05:27 is probably considered a utility player at Arsenal,

05:30 more of a squad player who offers a lot off the pitch.

05:34 He's a good player as well.

05:36 He's a good passer of the ball,

05:37 but I think he's not obviously

05:39 a regular starter at the club.

05:41 Elneny played 78 minutes against Mozambique

05:46 in that 2-2 draw with Egypt,

05:48 and I think it is good for him

05:51 because he needs to get minutes.

05:53 He's someone who's doing his coaching badges at the moment.

05:56 He's got a lot off the pitch.

05:57 He's started his own football club as well.

06:00 Really good guy, Mohamed Elneny,

06:03 and I think he's a player that Nicole Arteta really values.

06:06 Of course, they play together,

06:08 Nicole Arteta and Elneny,

06:10 so they know each other very well.

06:12 And yeah, he offers those leadership qualities,

06:14 but Tomiyasu, I think he's had a bit more game time this season

06:18 than Elneny, of course.

06:20 And then we have Takahiro Tomiyasu,

06:22 as you mentioned, Jason,

06:23 4-2 win over Vietnam.

06:27 And Tomiyasu didn't play,

06:29 which is maybe a concern,

06:31 perhaps about his fitness levels.

06:33 We don't know exactly where he stands at the moment,

06:37 but he didn't play at all,

06:38 wasn't in the team or on the bench.

06:41 So yeah, it does beg the question

06:44 whether he was being rested

06:46 or whether he's maybe carrying a slight knock

06:48 and Arsenal have told Japan not to risk him.

06:52 So yeah, Tomiyasu is away,

06:56 Elneny away as well,

06:57 but there are of course other teams in the Premier League

07:00 who have got a lot more players away

07:02 at these tournaments than Arsenal.

07:04 (upbeat music)

Arsenal's midfield solution, Jurrien Timber boost and January transfers | Chris Wheatley show

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