"Let's see. We have another training session today. He's been training with us for a few days. Let's see," Mikel Arteta said of Jurriën Timber ahead of Arsenal's trip to Sunderland. The clearest part of the update is that Timber is close, Ben White is fine after being substituted in Italy, and Cristhian Mosquera is moving in the right direction. William Saliba still looks to be the defender Arsenal cannot count on yet.

Timber, White and Mosquera

Timber has not featured for Arsenal since the Champions League final last season. He has been back in team training in recent days and travelled with the squad to Napoli in midweek, which puts him in the frame for a return without quite confirming one. Arteta's line on White was calmer still, with the defender reported to be fine after the win in Italy.

Mosquera is the other name to watch. Arteta said, "He's doing really well," and that fits with the sense that Arsenal's defensive options are thinning out in the right places rather than staying broken. Timber's recent Champions League outing brought a 6.3 rating, White's league mark this season stands at 6.64, and Declan Rice even posted a 7.7 against Chelsea when used at right-back while White recovered.

Sunderland's test for Arsenal

Sunderland's manager, Regis Le Bris, has already talked up the challenge in front of him. "I think this season they are flying right now," he said, before adding that Arsenal are "the best team in Europe" at the minute. He also said Sunderland must "make it as uncomfortable and as difficult as possible" for Arsenal.

That warning comes with some context. Arsenal are on five straight wins in all competitions and won all 8 of their Champions League matches last season. Sunderland, meanwhile, host the Premier League champions on Saturday night and will be without Romaine Mundle and Habib Diarra after both were injured in the 1-0 win over Fulham at the end of August.

Arsenal's last visit to the Stadium of Light ended in a 2-2 draw last November, with Brian Brobbey scoring an injury-time equaliser. The return to Sunderland is a different game on paper, but Arteta still has one unresolved call to make: whether Timber is ready for Sunderland vs Arsenal or only the next round of fixtures.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →