Jurrien Timber “wants to join Arsenal,” and with the deal getting “the green light by all parties”, it shouldn’t take long for the player to officially join the North London side, claims journalist Paul Brown.It has been a busy start to the transfer window for Arsenal, with the deal for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz reportedly reaching its conclusion, the ongoing saga over West Ham United’s Decan Rice, and now the rapid pace at which the deal for Timber seems to be developing.
Arsenal transfer news – what’s the latest on Jurrien Timber?
The Dutch defender has impressed for Ajax for several years now, and this time last summer, it looked like his performances had earned him a move to Manchester United with former manager Erik ten Hag.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side now looks to be in the driving seat for the player’s signature, with David Ornstein first confirming the Gunners’ interest in the 22-year-old on June 19th.
The deal looks to have rapidly developed since then, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Arsenal have submitted a second bid for the 5 foot 10 dynamo in the region of €45/48m (£39/41m) and that the Timber “loves Arsenal’s project and wants to join them.”
What has journalist Paul Brown said about Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?
Brown was very confident that Timber’s move to North London was just around the corner as all parties seemed to be nearing an agreement on the transfer.
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “Timber clearly wants to join Arsenal. It seems to have been given the green light by all parties so far, so I do think that one will happen and it won’t take very long to get done.”
How good is Jurrien Timber?
Timber has been one of Ajax’s stand-out stars for a couple of years, first making his debut for the club on March 7th 2020, in a 3-1 win over SC Heerenveen.
Since that game, he has pulled on the famous red and white of the Netherlands’ biggest team 121 times, scoring six goals and assisting another four.
Despite not getting his move to United last summer, he still had a great season in the Dutch capital, averaging an impressive rating of 6.89 across his 34 Eredivisie matches, per WhoScored.
One of the Utrecht-born gem’s biggest strengths is his positional versatility, having played as both a centre-half and right-back during his career, something that has unsurprisingly caught the eye of Arteta.
The Spaniard has developed a system in which the team’s right-back often tucks in as a third centre-half when the team has the ball, and while Ben White has proven to be excellent in this role, he would likely benefit from some competition and some cover, which is where Timber could truly add value to the team.
If Arsenal really are about to sign the “unbelievable” player – as once described by national teammate Daly Blind – their backline could be much scarier next season.