Good morning everyone, happy Friday to you.
It’s still very quiet, but there are a few details we can focus on this morning. Firstly, Jurrien Timber’s rehabilitation from his ACL injury continues, and he has taken a big step forward by returning to the pitch and training with the ball. Obviously it’s a very positive development, but I’d say there’s still a long way to go before we see him in contention for a place in the first team.
I know there’s always this with injured players, particularly during a difficult period for a team, where their quality increases in direct proportion to the length of their absence. Still, he would certainly have been a real asset in the first half of the season, and although it will likely still take a few weeks for him to be close to being ready, he could still play a role in the latter part of the campaign. He could come back and be rusty, or he could come back with fresh legs and a keen desire to play a role after missing much of his debut campaign with Arsenal. Let’s hope it’s the last.
We also watched Gabriel Jesus train, which alleviated some concerns I had when I found out about the knock he had received before the Liverpool game. When it was the same knee and they saw something on an ultrasound, I became quite anxious, but let’s keep our fingers crossed that it’s nothing serious. The fact that he is on the training ground suggests we can relax a bit. Not completely, but a little.
Fabio Vieira, something of this season’s forgotten man, is also there, as is Thomas Partey, but details on his possible return dates are still a bit vague. However, if those two return, with Takehiro Tomiyasu returning in a couple of weeks after the Asian Cup (which starts for Japan in a couple of days), and Timber a little further down the line, we could have a much stronger team. as things heat up domestically and in Europe.
Whether or not we will expand it in January remains to be seen. I think we could do something, but I’m not really sure what or when, but anyone expecting a big-money signing or the arrival of a big name this month will probably be disappointed, unless something extraordinary happens.
I thought this was interesting from Sam Dean in The Telegraph, a link to 22-year-old Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee:
Arsenal are admirers of Joshua Zirkzee and are closely monitoring the 22-year-old striker. Bologna are believed to want around £50m, so as things stand a January move is considered unlikely. One to watch. Story with @JBurtTelegraph #AFC https://t.co/CgZh1Rd8EW
– Sam Dean (@SamJDean) January 11, 2024
To be honest, I don’t know much about him, but my gut feeling when it comes to the arrival of a striker is that this profile of player is much more likely than Arsenal shelling out over £100m for someone like Victor Osimhen, or a £ 70-80 million summer splurge on 28-year-old Ivan Toney. By the way, this is not based on any inside information, just my own opinion that we will try to bring in a player who can develop into that type of striker, rather than the finished article. I could be completely wrong, but I also think there are other things we’ll want to do this summer, and spending a large percentage of the budget on one player could well have an impact on that. Time will tell!
Finally, for today, there has been a bit of action in the January transfer window with Arsenal Women signing US international defender Emily Fox; news that Tim first reported to them in December. There is also an exit: Kathrine Kuhl will join Everton on loan for the rest of the season.
We are also continuing to expand our coverage of Arsenal Women and will be publishing match-by-match reports on Arseblog News from Sunday. As the site is 100% ad-free these days, we are only able to do this thanks to your continued support on Patreon. If you want additional content and to help us deliver the best Arsenal content across all aspects of the club, it’s just over five months away and you can sign up here.
Well, let’s leave it there. Below you will find a recording of Arsecast last night with Stadio’s Ryan Hunn, all the links you need to listen/subscribe are there. Have a great Friday everyone.
