Jurrien Timber looks set to be the final piece in Mikel Arteta’s jigsaw this summer.
Following on from last year, Arsenal have looked to move quickly in the transfer market, with the majority of transfer business done before players return for pre-season.
You can only see someone else following Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz through the door if there is an exit (Romeo Lavia replacing Thomas Partey the obvious one).
Havertz and Rice need no introduction, but who actually is Jurrien Timber?
Timber is a 22-year-old defender from Ajax who made his debut for the Dutch side at the age of just 18.
Predominantly a central defender for Ajax, he is expected to play as an inverted right back for Arsenal, mirroring Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left hand side.
I would be very surprised if he replaces Ben White straight away at right back, and imagine his acquisition will allow the Englishman to be William Saliba’s cover at centre back. Takehiro Tomiyasu will then likely be shift to left back to cover Zinchenko with Kieran Tierney out the door.
Whilst he played centreback for Ajax, he was often given the freedom to drift wide or push high when Ajax were in position.
Timber’s ability on the ball and passing meant that he is often heavily involved in the build up play, always offering an option for his team mate on the ball. Pushing Timber wide or forward allowed them to overload opponents in certain positions.
He certainly does not look out of place when on the ball, in the middle of the park. If you did not know better, you would think you were watching a midfielder playing at centreback, not a defender pushing into midfield.
Timber is a very intelligant player, and fantastic at breaking through an opponents high press. He is agile and light footed, and can change direction with a quick drop of the shoulder. Almost Jack Wilshere like.
This means that at one point he can look closed in, then with a swivel of his hips he has done a 180 and opened up the other side of the pitch. This then gives him the space to pass into and launch an attack, or get his head down and run into.
Timber is comfortably the defender when it comes to passing in Holland. He has also shown his ability on both the Champions League and Europa League stages in recent seasons.
For Ajax last season, he averaged 80 passes a game at a 92% completion rate. In the Europa League he averaged over 100 passes a game, with 93% completed. In the Champions League, he completed 94% of all his passes (across 6 group stage games).
Timber is also not a sideways passer. He ranks high amongst centre backs across Europe when it comes to forward passes and runs (progressive carries).
Timber is one of the players who is not rapid, but has that initial burst that creates space for himself. Again, not to dissimilar to Wilshere. This means that when he does drop that shoulder, he can quickly find himself with enough time and space to get his head up and make the right decision.
This initial burst also makes him a very good one on one defender.
A third comparison to Wilshere is in the way he likes to draw defenders in before changing the direction of play.
This helps himself, and Ajax, to combat a high press as it means an attacker is than committed in the challenge and is therefore out of position as the ball moves forward into the next phase of play.
Given his technique and ability to find space, it is actually a surprise he has found himself as a centreback, especially when you take into account he is only 5′ 10″. But then I guess this is the Dutch total football way.
The final string to his passing bow is the fact that his left foot is nearly as strong as his right. This will make him a perfect candidate to play as that inverted centre back as he can keep both sides of the pitch open – one of the issues when Tierney played in the inverted role is his lack of right foot meant all of his passes were only ever going from left to right.
When you are as good as Timber is on the ball, there can be a tendancy to try and make something happen everytime. Also looking for that Hollywood ball or that lung bursting run forward. David Luiz comes to mind. But Timber is sensible with his skills.
He recognises when is the time and place for the expansive play, but that also often the shorter, safer pass is the better one.
Timber’s ability allows him to comfortably drift into space left by others, regardless on where on the pitch he finds himself.
Like Arsenal, Ajax play with a single pivot 6.
Edson Alvarez likes to drop deep between his centrebacks. When Alvarez’s marker follows him to press, Timber feels the space further forward.
Arsenal play a different version of this, with Zinchenko filling the space left by Thomas Partey from a wider position rather than Gabriel or William Saliba stepping forward.
With Rice incoming, you can already picture him dropping between the central dfenders, and then Zinchenko and / or Timber filling that space from a wide position. It will almost give us a narrow 2-3 defensive line instead of a 4-1.
When playing further outwide, expect Timber to be playing one-twos with Rice (or Partey) to break the press.
His ability on the ball allows him to play that one touch pass into midfield, and his initial burst of pace will see him get ahead of the opposite winger trying to press him. He will then have the option of Martin Odegaard inside, or Bukayo Saka outside to continue the attack. Thus ensuring Arsenal’s attackers are not doubled up on.
White already does this for Arsenal, meaning that Timber can easily slot in and replace him at right back when required.
If you are thinking “all you have spoken about is his ability on the ball”, then you are right. And that is because his passing and awareness when his team are in possession is his strength. But this does not automatically mean he is a bad defender.
Timber is an an solid, calm and confident defender. His reading of the game and tactical intelligence more than makes up for his vertical deficiencies.
Whilst Timber is not the tallest, his ability to read the game and positioning often enables himself to incerpt the pass rather than compete physically for the ball. Like a prime Fabio Cannavaro.
That initial burst of pace, and his long limb allow him to get between the ball and his opponent and nick it away. It also means that he can quickly cover the space in behind him if a forward does get the jump ahead.
If the opponent does receive the ball ahead of him, Timber is one who tends to close off the space, jockey and force them away from the danger area, rather than lunge in and try and win the ball as quickly as he can.
For Holland, Timber has averaged 2.5 intereceptions a game over this seasons World Cup qualifiers. This compared to 0.8 per game for Virgil van Dijk, who much prefers the physical battle.
This will, of course, raise concerns as to whether he has the physicaly attributes to play in the Premier League. Something labelled at his former teammate Lisandro Martinez. This should not be a concern as it is expected Timber will play more as a right back, with White being the option for centreback if Saliba is out.
Physically, Timber reminds me a lot of Bacary Sagna.
However, it is not all roses and sunshine. Playing to his strengths can lead to his weakenesses.
The initial burst of pace in the challenge and determination to be first to the ball can lead him to over commit.
If he does not get to the ball first, he can be found off balance and easily rolled. This gives the attacker the advantage and time to get away from him. You can picture Erling Haaland (or an a prime Didier Drogba) pining themselves against him, and then rolling him as he tries to come round the side to get the ball first.
When he does decide to tackle an opponent, he goes in for it 100%. Strong and committed. This can result in the challenge being deemed reckless and the result is often a free kick against him.
One area that Timber can certainly improve is his aerial prowess.
Timber is not able to compete with the biggest of strikers, and also lacks the black artas that someone like Martinez has to make up for it. Sometimes it feels like he gives up on challenging the ball in the air, and focuses on what he is going to do when the ball is back on the ground.
He certainly needs to learn that an aerial duel is not always about winning the ball, but also about disrupting your opponent so they can not win it cleanly.
Hopefully this weakness should not be exposed as much when playing right back. Gone are the days Andy Carroll pinging himself to a full back and looking for those long cross field balls.
If Timber was being signed as a central defender, you would be concerned. But all of his weakenesses in defence are Ben White’s strengths (Timber could learn a lot from White about the dark arts of a physical duel).
Arteta loves players who are comfortable on the ball no matter when on the pitch they are. His philosophy is about passing it into space, trusting a team mate will be in that space, and then that team mate having the technique to transition the ball into the next box of space.
If you cut the pitch into quarters, Timber can dominate the defensive right hand side of the quarter in same way Zinchenko does on the left.
The only question left for Arteta is whether he can play both Zinchenko and Timber as inverted full backs at the same time, or whether for balance one will need to sacrifice their natural instincts and stay wider.
Havertz, Rice and Timber. A fantastic summer.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 