Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterLast months publication of the 2025/26 PFA Team of the Year generated ample debate, but certain positions were beyond doubt. The likes of David Raya, Declan Rice and Bruno Fernandes were shoo-ins in their respective roles, and so too was Jurrien Timber at right-back.The Dutchman enjoyed a magnificent campaign last time out. He was a key part of the Arsenal rearguard that underpinned the club's first title triumph in 22 years. The good news for the Gunners is that Timber is nearing a return to first-team action following a groin injury. Having returned to full training, he could be in the matchday squad to face Brighton this weekend.Its hard to find any major weaknesses in Timbers game. Quick, strong and athletic, he is also technically sound and positionally smart. Seldom beaten one-on-one by an opposition winger, Timber frequently locked down his flank last term. And although he is not the most buccaneering of full-backs, he contributes plenty in the final third too."A big example for the rest of his team-mates.Extraordinary for me, hes been phenomenal in every department, Mikel Arteta said of Timber last year. I think hes taken his level and the teams level to a different dimension, against his opponents, the way he penetrates, the way he wins duels, the way he understands the game, the way he wants to make things happen. A big example for the rest of his team-mates.In short, Timber is the best player in the Premier League in his position - but he should not start for Arsenal right now. You may like Arsenal have one hand on another Premier League title and defence is the foundation again Unlikely Arsenal man on course for season-best tally after Mikel Arteta's latest tactical innovation Accidental Arsenal discovery may have saved the Gunners millions in deadline day fees Ben White has deputised for Timber in the opening weeks of the season, and he has done it well. There had been nothing wrong with his displays at right-back before Arsenal signed Timber in 2023, but White has had to play second fiddle to the former Ajax man over the last couple of campaigns.Timber edges a head-to-head comparison between the pair, but football is more complicated than that. White is in form and in a confident mood. Timber is still working his way back up to full fitness having missed the World Cup with the groin issue that also kept him out of much of the run-in last term.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.On top of that, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have both enjoyed fine starts to the season. White, Saka and Odegaard have long shared a special chemistry on the right, forming passing triangles in an area of the pitch where Arsenal have tended to concentrate their attacks during Artetas tenure.White and Saka in particular seem to have an intuitive understanding. White overlaps more readily than Timber, opening up space inside for Saka to attack. The two England internationals have a canny ability to anticipate each others movement, linking up at high speed even when seemingly surrounded. When that wavelength is perfectly tuned, they are very difficult to stop.Perhaps Whites presence in the XI has had little bearing on Saka and Odegaards recent output. Both players already showed signs of getting back to their best at the World Cup. Yet given how well they are playing together, Arteta should think twice before breaking up that trio. After three wins from three in the Premier League, there is no real need to rush Timber back into the team.None of which is to say White should get the nod indefinitely. There will be a time when Timbers superior defensive abilities will come in handy, particularly as Arsenal are attempting not only to retain the title but to win the Champions League too. The free-flowing football Arsenal have produced so far has been encouraging, yet it would be more of a surprise if Arteta did not batten down the hatches at some point this season than if he did.Timbers time will come. For now, the Arsenal right-back spot is Whites to lose.TOPICSArsenalPremier LeagueGreg LeaSocial Links NavigationGreg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
