Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber in the 2023 summer transfer window as the Dutchman joined from Ajax.
The 23-year-old can play both at centre-back and full-back with his most common position at Arsenal as a full-back on the right-hand side.
Timber has made just 13 appearances for the Gunners, and his first season at the Emirates was plagued by a knee injury he suffered last season.
However the Dutchman has been able to begin carving himself a role in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team and if he continues to perform well then Timber could become Arteta’s first choice at full-back likely alongside Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba and Gabriel in defence.
Timber joined for a fee of £33.5m in the summer of 2023 from Eredivisie side Ajax where he broke through into not only their first team as a youngster, but the Netherlands national team.
An Ajax prospect to an Arsenal star
The defender began his footballing career in 2008 at Feyenoord’s youth academy when he was just seven years old. He remained at Feyenoord until 2014 when he moved to Ajax where he grew into a real star for the Dutch side.
Timber signed his first professional contract in 2018 aged 17 after he’d made appearances for Ajax’s youth teams at U17, U19 and U21s levels.
The Dutch defender made his professional debut for Ajax in a 3-1 win over Heerenveen in March 2020, but it took Timber over a year until he scored his first goal for the club which eventually came in May 2021 in a 4-0 win that confirmed Ajax as Eredivisie champions for a record 35th time.
In his penultimate season at the club, Timber made 30 appearances in the league, scoring three goals and two assists which is impressive considering that Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag played him at centre-back.
The defender’s numbers didn’t get any worse in his final season for Ajax as he appeared in every Eredivisie game that his side played scoring two goals and two assists.
Timber was then sold to Arsenal for £33.5m, and despite his impressive appearance record in previous years suffered an injury that kept him side-lined for his entire first season at the Emirates.
The Dutch international didn’t take long to break into his national team as he played for the Netherlands at U15s, U16s, U17s, U19s and U21s level before playing for the first team.
He made his international debut in June 2021 in a friendly against Scotland after being selected for the Dutch squad for Euro 2020.
So far he has 17 caps for the national side and is still waiting for his first goal for the Netherlands which will only be more likely the more games he plays for Arsenal.
Three things you didn’t know about Jurrien Timber
Despite growing up in the Netherlands and playing for both Ajax and the national team, Jurrien Timber has Aruban and Curaçaoan descent. He was born to parents from the Dutch Caribbean and remains very proud of his roots.
Furthermore, his family intrigue doesn’t stop there, as Timber is a twin with brother Quintin who is also a professional footballer. He plays for Feyenoord which is where Jurrien began his career as a seven year-old.
Timber draws his inspiration for winning, not from a former footballer or iconic player, but Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen. His fellow countryman is a thre-time World Driver’s Championship winner and Timber aims to channel Verstappen’s focus and drive to win as a footballer.
