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.
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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)