Liverpool and Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk has already offered a glowing review of Arsenal’s latest signing Jurrien Timber, admitting that he was ‘never that good’ at his age.
The 22-year-old is on the verge of joining the Gunners from Eredivisie giants Ajax in a deal worth up to £40m, and is set to undergo a medical in north London over the weekend.
Able to play at right-back or on the right side of central defence, he is viewed as yet another versatile profile that can add quality to Arsenal’s build up, after William Saliba’s injury put pay to their Premier League title hopes last season.
And Liverpool star Van Dijk has already given his vote of confidence to the moves when discussing the defender on international duty back in 2022. Asked on his defensive partner, the centre-back revealed that he saw endless potential in Timber.
“I was never that good at the age of Timber, he’s just 21… I can only praise him. His potential is so high, I’m sure”, he told the media.
He is not the only one either. Ex-Oranje legend Marco van Basten has also given out plenty of high praise for the defender, singling him out as a key reason for Ajax and the Netherlands’ success.
“It’s thanks to him that we are able to play so easy out from the back. Jurrien Timber is our biggest strength in defence. “He always takes the initiative just like Nathan Ake while actually the best defender [Virgil Van Dijk] takes the least initiative of the three which is weird, that such a great centre-back does so little in the build-up. Timber is never panicking.”
“If you are as good as Timber, you can always remain calm. Technically he is good enough and tactically he is also good enough. And that’s why he is playing and Matthijs de Ligt is not.”
