Arsenal right-back Ben White might struggle to get back into the Gunners' starting lineup when he returns from surgery, according to expert Charles Watts.
The England international - who has been hailed as one of Mikel Arteta's most consistent performers since arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021 - is facing months on the sidelines after undergoing a knee operation in the November international break.
In his absence, Jurrien Timber - who is no stranger to serious knee issues, having missed most of his debut season with an ACL problem - is expected to nail down the right-back slot, and the Dutchman made his mark in that area of the pitch in midweek.
Timber set up Gabriel Martinelli's opening goal in Arsenal's 5-1 Champions League drubbing of Sporting Lisbon, and speaking to Sports Mole, Watts claimed that the former Ajax man has a brilliant chance to permanently usurp White in the pecking order.
"I think it's a toss of a coin in terms of who is Arsenal's first-choice right-back now," Watts said. "Ben White was so used to being one of the first names on the team sheet.
"But since Timber's arrived, obviously last season was just awful what happened to him on the opening day. But had he stayed fit from when he arrived, I wouldn't have ruled out that Timber would be Arsenal's first choice right back, right now.
Ben White might "really struggle" to win Arsenal place back
"He's been so good every time we've seen him play. He was before the injury in pre-season. He was Arsenal's standout player when they signed him in pre-season. Then he got the injury first day, missed out on the whole season. He's come back and been great. So I think Ben White's going to really struggle to get to sort of guarantee himself a starting place."
Timber formed part of a more recognisable starting XI against Sporting after Arteta sprang a few selection surprises for last weekend's 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest, namely bringing Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus into the starting lineup.
Watts has already urged Arteta to consider more regular tweaks to his starting XI, and he believes that rotating Timber for White when both are fully fit is an avenue that he could explore, as the latter has been "flogged to death" while deputising for the injury-riddled Takehiro Tomiyasu.
"Sometimes you've got to move away from who's a regular starter," Watts added. I think if when you've got two players of that quality in the same position, it's great, especially the demands that full-backs have on them. Now it's nice to be able to rotate, one week you can play Timber, one week you can play Ben White.
"The main reason I think Ben White's injured now is because he's been basically flogged to death in the wake of Tomiyasu being injured consistently and Timber being out for all of last season. He had to play so much last season. He played through the pain and I think he's feeling the effects of that now and this operation has had to be had.
"Timber was really, really good [against Sporting]. He played great against Forest. Just playing him on that natural right-hand side is a real boost. I think Ben White might have his work cut out for him a little bit when he comes back."
A statistical comparison of White and Timber's Arsenal performances
© Imago
Neither White nor Timber have set the pitch alight in an attacking sense so far this season, as the former has only set up one goal in 12 games in all competitions, while Timber boasts two assists from 15 matches.
According to data from FBref - taken from the 2024-25 Premier League season so far - White boasts a slightly better overall pass completion percentage (83.5% to 81.3%), but Timber's long pass completion rate is significantly higher, 53.3% compared to 43.8%.
The Dutchman also ranks higher in shot-creating actions with 19 - at a rate of 2.2 per Premier League game - compared to White's eight, while also completing more take-ons and more progressive carries than his English colleague.
However, one area where White easily has the beating of Timber is in the air, as the 6ft 1in Englishman has won 76.9% of his aerial duels in the Premier League this season, while the 5ft 10in Timber comes in at a measly 29.4%.
Off-the-ground battles are not so crucial for full-backs as they are central defenders though, and looking at the attacking metrics so far this season, Timber is undoubtedly making his case to oust White from the first XI permanently.
