Arsenal fans are excited to return to Champions League action. After their weekend Premier League fixture against Everton, Mikel Arteta will mark the Gunners’ return to the Champions League in a home fixture against PSV. The Dutch side will be Arteta’s toughest opponents in the group stage, so he’ll field a strong XI to maximise his chances.
Yesterday, the final Arsenal squad was submitted by Mikel Arteta to UEFA. It was an expected squad, as Arteta submitted his strongest players. However, there was one element of confusion from fans, which was brushed up by Fabrizio Romano.
Fabrizio Romano explains why Arsenal excluded Jurrien Timber from Champions League squad
Romano posted to X, explaining the situation of Jurrien Timber. The summer signing was left out of the squad in place of Cedric Soares, who was supposed to be sold in the summer. However, this is only due to injury as Arteta would like to maximise every space in the squad. Therefore, he plans to re-submit the squad in January, where he will include Timber who should return from injury.
Arsenal announce their UCL squad list officially presented tonight 🔴⚪️📑
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 11, 2023
↪️ Cedric Soares included as he’ll be part of the team.
↩️ Jurrien Timber currently excluded as he’s injured but he can/will be added in January as list can be updated. pic.twitter.com/RsO5R1dpGj
When Timber is reintroduced to the squad, it will be at a player’s expense. Likely, it will be Cedric Soares who is due a permanent move away or a loan move in January, since he didn’t obtain one in the summer.
In many ways, it’s probably worked out to be a good thing that Arteta didn’t sell or loan Cedric in the summer. While he likely won’t be needed in the Champions League, his place on the bench could prove valuable in games.
To read about which Arsenal players have the most Champions League experience, click here.
What do you make of Arsenal’s final Champions League squad?