Eberechi Eze has admitted he had high expectations of all his new teammates when first arriving at Arsenal towards the end of the summer transfer, but Jurriën Timber still managed to exceed them.
After the Gunners triggered a £60 million ($78.4 million) release clause to sign Eze from Crystal Palace, for whom he scored the winner in last season’s FA Cup final, the England international now counts Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard and William Saliba among his club colleagues. But versatile defender Timber has stood out more than anyone else.
“Everyone is sort of what you expect them to be,” Eze told GOAL’s Beast Mode On podcast, with former EFL journeyman striker Adebayo Akinfenwa. “The expectation of all the players is high. I’ll say one player who has gone even beyond the high expectation I already had—because I’d heard good things about him—was Jurriën Timber.
“He’s a special player and a special guy.”
Timber joined Arsenal from Ajax in a £38.5 million ($50.3 million) deal in the summer of 2023. The Dutchman, who can operate at right back or centre back, missed most of his debut season after suffering an ACL injury in his first Premier League appearance but has displaced Ben White as a starter since his return.
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“I think for me, in an environment of people and you have a culture that is geared towards improving, these guys all want to improve,” Eze said of what he’s encountered behind the scenes.
“For me, it’s a pleasure to be part of it and to see guys like him who perform the way they perform, who carry themselves the way they carry themselves. It’s inspiring, for sure.”
It’s that kind of mindset, as well as a helping hand with injuries, which could ultimately pave the way for Arsenal to become Premier League champions for the first time since 2003–04.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eberechi Eze Reveals Surprise Arsenal Teammate He’s Most Impressed With.
