Mikel Arteta acquired the Dutchman from Ajax in a deal worth £38m earlier in the summer, however after just 50 minutes of his debut Premier League campaign, the 22-year-old was forced to withdraw.
It was later revealed that the versatile defender had sustained damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, leaving him sidelined for the foreseeable future, and leaving Arsenal light in the defensive areas once more.
To add to the stress of Timber’s absence, recent reports have speculated that the Gunners could be without another defender, giving Arteta and Edu even more of an incentive to recruit before the end of the transfer window.
What’s the latest on Arsenal’s transfer situation?
While the ongoing doubts over the future of striker Folarin Balogun are well documented, there was a shocking revelation provided by journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan, that suggested another star could depart this summer.
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Taking to social media, Al-Ajlan relayed news from sources of Al Jazeera that there is interest from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.
It was claimed that the Brazilian was part of negotiations in London with club president Anmar Al-Haili over a potential move, with Al-Ajlan claiming that talks were “proceeding positively”.
There could however be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Gunners, with rumoured interest in defender Jules Kounde, who cost FC Barcelona around €60m (£51m) in 2022.
Should Arsenal sign Jules Kounde?
Speaking after Arsenal’s 1-0 away win to Crystal Palace on Monday night, Arteta played down the speculation regarding the 25-year-old’s potential departure, despite him being benched for the opening two fixtures.
In the instance that Gabriel could depart north London, Kounde would be the perfect figure to replace the Brazilian, if the opportunity arose.
Having been lauded as “terrific” and a “sensation” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the Frenchman has impressed during his first year at the Nou Camp, having joined from LaLiga rivals Sevilla a year earlier.
Deployable as both a right-back and centre-back, the 24-year-old has a host of attributes identifiable in Arteta’s demands of his back line, with strong versatility and strengths in going forward.
Based on his averages over the past year, the Paris-born gem ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top-five leagues for his progressive play, averaging 7.18 progressive passes and 2.29 progressive carries per 90, via FBref.
Defensively, the former Sevilla gem averaged closely to Arsenal’s Brazilian machine last term, averaging 1.37 tackles per 90 to Gabriel’s 1.27, as well as making 0.70 interceptions to the 25-year-old’s 0.84 per 90.
During his debut LaLiga campaign with the Catalan giants, Kounde made 29 league appearances and contributed to 18 clean sheets, via Sofascore, a contribution that guided the Blaugrana to become champions of Spain.
Winning mentality, versatility and a youthful aura, Arteta could land his ideal defender if the regrettable scenario of Gabriel bidding farewell to the Emirates plays out.