One Arsenal star was able to give Mikel Arteta and the fans a hint of what he will be able to bring next season against Everton.

Despite it being the final game of the season, Mikel Arteta was still able to learn new lessons about his Arsenal side as they beat Everton on Sunday. 

Even though Arsenal beat the Toffees 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, Manchester City’s win over West Ham United meant that the Premier League trophy was lifted at the Etihad Stadium rather than in North London.

Arsenal fans will feel devastated that the Gunners couldn’t beat Pep Guardiola’s side to the title. Arteta will now need to pick his players up from the canvas, and make improvements to his squad over the course of the summer, in preparation to mount another title challenge next season.

The Spanish coach is convinced that his side have what it takes to knock the Cityzens off their perch. Speaking on the Emirates Stadium pitch after the final whistle on Sunday, Arteta promised Arsenal fans that silverware is on its way.

The foundations for glory are in place. Now it is just tweaks and adjustments that are required. Arsenal need to move on from Thomas Partey, and bolster their attacking ranks. 

However, one piece of the puzzle looks to already be in place, in the shape of Jurrien Timber. 

Jurrien Timber excites on Arsenal return v Everton

The Dutchman was able to make just his second Premier League outing of the season against Everton, after a serious knee injury picked up in the first match of the campaign devastated his first term at Arsenal. 

Arsenal fans have good reason to be excited about the 22-year-old. Arteta has described Timber as a “special” player in the past, and will be expecting big things from him.

Timber came on as a 69th minute substitute on Sunday, replacing Ben White at right-back. However, the former Ajax man seemed to adopt a far more fluid role than White had performed.

Heatmaps for the two full-backs produced by WhoScored show that Timber was more willing to drift in-field into the middle of the park than White was. 

What Jurrien Timber will bring to Arsenal next season

Arteta has often deployed inverted left-backs, with Oleksandr Zinchenko regularly tasked with becoming something of an auxiliary midfielder when the Gunners are on the ball and looking to build attacks.

Timber is capable of operating in this manner on both flanks, as he performed as a left-back in his few early-season appearances. 

There was unsurprisingly some rustiness in his game on Sunday, but there were signs of what to expect from the 15-cap Netherlands international next season. His athleticism and comfort on the ball allow him to cover vast swathes of the pitch. He is assured in getting forward, and he is likely to pop up in advanced and aggressive positions across the forward line next season.

Timber will make the Gunners a more unpredictable and free-flowing attacking force from his full-back berth, regardless of which side of the pitch he starts from.