As covered by 101 on Monday, Arsenal have submitted a second bid for the transfer of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber as they aim to get the deal completed this week.
It was claimed that the Gunners have already agreed personal terms with Timber on a five-year contract, while they also saw an opening offer of £30m for him turned down by Ajax.
Now, an insight into why Mikel Arteta is targeting the Dutchman has been provided.
According to Algemeen Dagblad, Arsenal coach Albert Stuivenberg played a key role in talking Arteta round to trying to sign Timber. Stuivenberg knows a thing or two about Dutch football, having previously worked under Louis van Gaal, and it seems he helped convince Arteta that Timber was the missing piece of the puzzle in the Arsenal defence.
With Arsenal looking set to sign Timber, they will have three quality first-team centre-backs who can rotate throughout a season they are set to challenge in four competitions.
The Gunners had to rely on Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior as cover last season, with both proving they are not good enough to fill in for William Saliba or Gabriel.
The latest on Manchester United’s pursuit of Jeremie Frimpong
