Timber's Mystery: Arsenal's Missing Shield Ahead of Brighton Clash
27 December 2025
Timber Out as Arsenal Face Brighton
Arsenal suffered a fresh blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, as Dutch defender Jurriën Timber was ruled out of the squad with an injury picked up during their League Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Timber started that game and helped the win on penalties, but later felt pain that prevented him from continuing.
According to The Standard, Timber arrived at the Emirates stadium this morning but was not included in the matchday squad, prompting questions about Arteta's selection.
Injury Blues Spread in Arsenal's Backline
Arteta explained that Timber's absence was due to the late injury and that the decision was made to protect him ahead of next week's home match against Aston Villa.
Timber's absence comes as Arsenal's defense endures a string of injuries, with Ben White and Kristian Muskira also sidelined, leaving the team without a right-back.
Return of Hincapié and Martinelli's Readiness
Defender Piero Hincapié recovered from the midweek injury and started alongside Saliba and Ricardo Calafiori in the Brighton game.
Gabriel Martinelli was fully fit after being substituted in the Palace game following a knee collision.
Arsenal's lineup for the Brighton match could still be adjusted by Arteta, who aims to manage resources ahead of the Villa test.
Punchline 1: If injuries were a transfer window, Arsenal would be signing a full back named Fort Knox by now.
Punchline 2: And if timing mattered, Timber would have filed a late-injury memo, but the bus to the Emirates took a detour to the ice cream truck instead of the press conference.
