Mikel Arteta makes Arsenal transfer admission after hinting Jurrien Timber will miss season

The Arsenal boss has been speaking to the media as he plots how to cope without Jurrien Timber, who is expected to be sidelined for a while after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has not ruled out the prospect of dipping into the transfer market to sign a replacement for the injured Jurrien Timber, who could miss the whole season.

Naturally a right-sided central defender, Timber had caught the eye during pre-season operating at left-back and was one of Arsenal's better performers in the Community Shield penalty shootout win over Manchester City earlier in the month and it's not lost on Arteta as to how much of a blow this setback is.

"Huge blow. Especially for him after just joining the club," the Spaniard said when speaking in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference on Thursday morning. "To have the injury he has is a huge blow. It is for the team because we recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident and he’s not going to be able to do it this season for us. We have to adapt. These things happen unfortunately and we have to move on."

Although, while not closing the door on another signing, the Spaniard was keen to stress he has internal solutions at his disposal: "I’m more thinking about the resources in the team to do what we want to do," Arteta added. "But it’s true he was giving us a lot on both sides. We are always open and we have to be open as well to the injuries but also to react to the market."

To Arteta's point, Arsenal do have depth at left-back. Takehiro Tomiyasu, who replaced Timber against Nottingham Forest, is an option to make a first competitive start since March, whilst there's been a positive update on