Arteta believes Timber will return to the team within a few weeks, even though he hasn't participated in the training camp yet.

Defending champions Arsenal will host newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium in their opening match of the 2026/27 Premier League season. Mikel Arteta stated that while Timber is recovering well, he has not yet participated in training camp, but he believes the defender will return in a few weeks.

In the earlier Community Shield, Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-0 thanks to goals from Calafiori, Havertz and Odegaard, thus starting their new season with the title.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, "Saka and Rice are ready to play, and we will continue to monitor Guimarães. His recovery is progressing very well, but we will have to see how he is tomorrow."

"Timber will return in the next few weeks, but he has not yet participated in training with the team. We do have some problems in the defense, especially with Saliba out for an extended period. We are working hard to strengthen this position. We will announce the relevant information once we are ready."

Given Arsenal's large squad, managing player playing time will be a significant challenge.

Arteta stated, "This is something we communicate with every player and try to make them understand. I want the squad to be as large as possible because we know what we are fighting for. We also know how long this season will be, and we will learn from the past again, especially from last season."

“We’ve had some very difficult situations, like when two or three players are injured at the same position at the same time. So the more depth the team has, the better for us. But we have to manage things well, and the players have to feel important and valued, and to do that, they need to get playing time.”

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