Jurrien Timber has been advised to sign for Arsenal this summer from Ajax after the Gunners submitted their first transfer offer for the defender. Late into Monday evening, news broke out from the Athletic that a shock £30million bid had been made by Arsenal for the Dutch international but Ajax had no intention of accepting the opening offer.
With Mikel Arteta hoping to strengthen his defensive options, a marquee addition at the back was expected, but Timber seemed relatively low down on the wish list. There is interest from Arsenal, along with Manchester United, but moves for Mohamed Simakan, Marc Guehi and Edmond Tapsoba appeared more likely.
However, signing Timber does make perfect sense given his tactical versatility, a trait that Mikel Arteta is very well-known for loving. For the majority of the 2022/23 season, Timber was deployed at centre-back but he is capable of also playing at right-back and in midfield, another two positions where some depth being secured is wanted.
