Arsenal may enter the transfer market to add another defender to the squad following an injury to Jurrien Timber, but signing Timothy Castagne would be underwhelming.

The 27-year-old was linked with Arsenal earlier in the window following Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League, and he is yet to find a new club despite further links with Juventus amongst others.

The Belgium international made 37 league appearances last season, and like Timber, is capable of playing across the back line, and even further forward as a wing-back.

Journalist Ryan Taylor has hinted that a move for Castagne could be explored, with Timber suffering a potentially long-term injury on his Premier League debut.

However, this is a move that Arsenal are better off avoiding. Whilst he would come with a similar level of versatility to Timber, the difference in quality between the two is quite significant, and Castagne would be a very unimaginative addition, especially compared to some of Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar’s brilliant signings in recent years.

Not at the required level

When considering Arsenal’s current defensive depth without Timber, there are still enough numbers to get by without an emergency addition.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Jakub Kiwior can all cover at left-back, where Timber has appeared for Arsenal so far. Ben White, Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey can all play on the right.

Castagne is not an upgrade on any of the fullbacks listed, and he would fail to make the matchday squad unless there was an injury crisis. At 27, he is not a player who could form part of the squad in the long term, and he would simply be a squad filler.

Signing him just for his experience as cover would be reminiscent of one of Arteta’s first signings, Cedric Soares. Cedric joined in January 2020, and over three years later, he is not in the plans, has been loaned out, and has been very disappointing on the pitch.

Castagne could follow a similar route, as a defender who was part of a relegation defence at Leicester City, and a player far below the level required to start in this Arsenal side, who are aiming to challenge for the title.

With the club currently struggling to sell deadwood like Cedric, adding more players who may eventually become difficult to find buyers for, is something that Arsenal have avoided well in recent seasons, and should continue to do so.

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