It only appears to be a matter of time before Jurrien Timber is announced as an Arsenal player after being thrown a goodbye party.
The Dutch defender is closing in on a move to the Emirates Stadium after the Gunners agreed a fee with Ajax for his signature. He would become the second signing of the summer after Kai Havertz’s arrival from Chelsea.
Timber could also be followed by Declan Rice, who is on the verge of what would become a club-record £105m move. The Dutchman has already undergone a medical with his new club and it appears that the only thing keeping him from becoming an Arsenal player is an official announcement.
That appears set to come soon after a hint dropped by Timber’s brother. Shamier Timber shared an image on his Instagram story of what looked like party decorations.
Timber was superimposed onto a board wearing an Arsenal shirt alongside the caption: “Jurrien’s Goodbye party! See you in the streets of London.”
It remains to be seen when Timber will officially be confirmed as a Gunner but it appears that his brother has jumped the gun. The post only appeared on Shamier’s Instagram story for around an hour before it was swiftly deleted.
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Regardless, it certainly got fans talking ahead of a potential announcement. One wrote: “They got sick of the slow announcements and did it before the club, get in!” Meanwhile, another commented: “Tears they got sick of Arsenal media team.”
Whilst it appeared that Timber was at the heart of a goodbye party, he was also spotted watching what could soon be his former side Ajax in action. The defender was on the sidelines watching as the Eredivisie giants drew 2-2 with FC Den Bosch in their first friendly of pre-season on Saturday.
After initially starting his career in the Feyenoord youth ranks, Timber moved to Ajax as a youngster. He worked his way up through the club’s system before making his first-team debut during the 2019/20 season.
The 22-year-old has gone on to make 121 appearances for the club and has earned 15 appearances for the Dutch national team since then. He was strongly linked with a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United last summer as Erik ten Hag attempted a reunion with his former player at Old Trafford.
However, former Red Devils’ boss Louis van Gaal appeared to intervene as he suggested that Timber would be better served staying with Ajax. He followed suit and penned a new deal in Amsterdam.
His goodbye party is not the first time that an Arsenal announcement has been leaked this summer, with Havertz’s interview having also been leaked on social media before its official club release.
