Jay Bothroyd has warned Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal that the signing of Jurrien Timber from Ajax might not work out because of the success rate of players coming out of the Dutch giants.
The former Arsenal player put several names on the table from Manchester United signing Donny van de Beek, Chelsea and Hakim Ziyech, as well as Matthijs de Ligt at Bayern Munich and how they have ‘underwhelmed’, as he told Sporting News.
Whilst the above players left a dominant Ajax team, if Jurrien Timber makes his expected move to Arsenal, then he leaves a side that has produced its worst season in many a year, including missing out on Champions League football.
It has been reported that the 22-year-old defender, who can operate as a right-back and as a centre-back, has been given permission to undergo a medical at the London club.
Alongside the Kai Havertz, the imminent arrival of Rice and now Timber, slowly but surely, Mikel Arteta is once again bulking up his squad for the new season.
Whilst Bothroyd had those above doubts about Timber, he explained what he can bring to the table that would benefit Arsenal.
“Attacking quality was not really where Mikel Arteta’s side lacked last season,” said Bothroyd.
“Injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu left them defensively exposed during the run-in, meaning Jurrien Timber will be a very necessary addition once his transfer from Ajax is confirmed.
“He’s solid, quick and decent on the ball, like all Dutch players are generally. The way they’re taught football the beautiful game, so he’s good at bringing the ball out of defence and making passes.
“At around £40m, it’s a pretty fair price, but I’m just a bit wary when we think about the last great Ajax team that broke up. They were unbelievable and almost reached the Champions League final in 2019.
“But Hakim Ziyech, Donny van der Beek and Matthijs de Ligt all got moves after that and have underwhelmed. Even Frenkie de Jong went to Barcelona and hasn’t set the world on fire. Those examples suggest it might not be easy for Timber but Arsenal had to get a defender and I think that he is probably the best option for that kind of money.”
Timber at Arsenal
The versatile Dutch defender played at centre-back last season, but will he play that role under Mikel Arteta? It could be argued that he is better off at right-back.
If there was a position at the back that needed upgrading, then most fans might just point towards Ben White.
Either way, European football expert Kevin Hatchard has labelled Timber as an ‘ever so good’ player, who will provide some much-needed depth to this title-chasing side.
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