Set to sign
Arsenal remarkable summer spending spree continues as the club adds yet another high-profile player to Mikel Arteta’s squad ahead of next season. Following in the footsteps of Kai Havertz and ahead of Declan Rice’s departure from West Ham, the North London have signed Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.
According to various media reports, Arsenal will match Timber’s market value and pay an initial €40 million plus add-ons that could see the fee grow to €50m. The initial fee will make Timber the 12th most expensive signing in Arsenal’s history, ranking right behind Alexis Sánchez (€42.5m) and Shkodran Mustafi (€41m). Only five Ajax players were more expensive upon their departure.
Timber, in the meantime, has reportedly agreed on a deal that will run until 2028 with Arsenal. The Ajax academy player also informed his club of his wish to leave the club for Arsenal some time ago. “I’m really excited, especially now I’m here,” Timber said in a club statement. “Everyone is so nice and you can see it’s a big club. I’m excited to play for this beautiful club, and I can’t wait to start, and to see the fans obviously in the stadium.” Last year a deal that would have seen him move to Manchester United failed because Timber saw some risks for playing time ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Now Timber is headed to the Premier League after all.
What kind of player is Jurrien Timber?
Netherlands Content Manager for Transfermarkt, Kevin Lux: “Timber has shown himself to be a defender with the ability to see the game. I would consider him a kind of a playmaker in the defensive line. He is tactically savy and can build an attack from defense. At Ajax, he showed initiative to move out of the back four and become an extra man in the midfield, instead of giving the ball to a playmaker or passing left and right to his fellow defenders. He also often changed places with [Edson] Alvarez, who looked after the defensive tasks when Timber moved up the field. Besides his skills in playmaking from the back line, he is also a good defender. He is the type of player that a team like Arsenal, which likes to play the ball around, can most certainly use. I have no doubt that Timber will become a regular at Arsenal.”
Why do Arsenal want to sign Jurrien Timber?
But why are Arsenal keen on signing Jurrien Timber? First of all, the club wants to add significant depth to its backline. With American Auston Trusty likely to be sold after a successful loan to Birmingham City last season and Ben White continuing to thrive at right-back, in William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior, Arsenal only have three reliable options available in central defence ahead of a season in which the club returns to the Champions League for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
Simons, Timber & Co. – The most valuable players in the Eredivisie
Second, Timber will also add new elements to Arsenal’s defensive game. Using Opta metrics, we compared Timber to the three central defenders previously mentioned in the article. Timber led the group with 163 ground duels overall and was second behind Gabriel with 87 duels won. The Dutchman was also first with 42 interceptions and second to Saliba (206) with 199 interceptions. Timber also won the most tackles (34) and had the most touches (3129).
In other words, Timber provides both cover for Gabriel and Saliba but also adds his own elements. As it is typical for players of the Ajax school, Timber is a proactive defender who likes to have the ball on his feet. Capable of playing both as a right and left center-back but also a right full-back, Timber seems to perfectly fit the style Mikel Arteta has been trying to cultivate over the last few seasons and which has made Arsenal a title challenger in the Premier League.
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