Timber: 'It was painful to watch Arsenal miss the Premier League last season'
"At the end of last season, a fan in the Netherlands witnessed in anguish Arsenal lost their breath and lost the Premier League title to Man City. A few months later, this fan landed at Emirates Stadium with a transfer fee of 45 million USD. with $6 million in extra fees and become the team's second rookie in the summer transfer window," Sky Sports began the article.
It is Timber - who will wear the number 12 shirt, the number that once belonged to Willian, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Olivier Giroud, Carlos Vela or the legendary Thierry Henry when he joined the club on loan in 2012.
"It was really painful," the Dutch defender recounted. "You can see Man City get better and better and it's hard to beat them. Arsenal dropped six points from two games against Man City. In the end, it's hard for them to make up for that. But it's fun to watch and enjoy the championship race".
On the launch day of the new club, Timber expressed his love for Arsenal, revealing that he had followed the team since childhood with two famous strikers Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry as their idols. When the deal was completed, the Ajax side also posted a video of gratitude, recording the scene when a young Timber predicted that one day he would play for Arsenal because this was the club he had always loved.
"It was just a feeling and a dream, that I always wanted to play for Arsenal," the 22-year-old said. "Usually I don't talk about the club I want to play for. But Arsenal is an exception because this is my favorite club. Going to Arsenal this summer is really not a difficult choice to make."
Timber's number 12 belonged to William Saliba last season. The sublimation of the French defender helped the "Gunners" advance from fifth to second. Will Timber be the man to help Arsenal go from second to first? The difference between these two players is that Timber has won the league title, having won the Eredivisie twice with Ajax. These are valuable experiences that are sure to come in handy, especially given the way Arsenal's youth squad fell during last season's sprint.
"It's hard to say," Timber replied when asked what Arsenal needed to topple Man City. "The Eredivisie is different from the Premier League. In the Dutch league we always say that a team will win if they win against small clubs. The Premier League doesn't really have small teams. You can't drop many points. To be a champion you need a little luck but be consistent in whatever you do and what makes you good."
After that, the Dutch player mentioned that Arsenal were "happy and lucky" when they beat Man City on penalties to win the English Super Cup. In theory, this title adds motivation and confidence to Arsenal for their ambition to win the Premier League.
But Timber admits things are not so simple. "That title hasn't changed, we still have our own goals," he said. "We want to show what we can do in the Premier League as well as other competitions. Winning at Wembley is a positive for the dressing room. Last year Arsenal proved to be a serious club, with the good players and good squad. They play for the title, and I think this year the expectations are even higher with the rookies."
Timber is one of those rookies, but many didn't anticipate that he would be placed at left-back by coach Mikel Arteta on his debut. Earlier, Arsenal had revealed to the media their plans to use Timber at right-back, although he played as a centre-back for most of his career and only started at right-back once last season - during The Netherlands lost to France 0-4.
Timber has never even played a left-back in an Ajax shirt, let alone a left-back that is often stuck in the middle, a role that belonged to Oleksandr Zinchenko last season. But in the end, he was voted Man of the Match by Arsenal fans, with an impressive 76 minutes at Wembley.
The 22-year-old burst into laughter when asked what is the best position. "I don't want to say it because I don't want the coach to know it," Timber joked. "Honestly, I'm happy to play. Arteta doesn't matter where I play. I will give my best and give everything I can."
The performance at Wembley on August 6 showed that Timber is Arteta's ideal type of player - a young player who can take on many positions on the pitch. That's why the Emirates Stadium owner prioritized recruiting Timber and started negotiations from the end of May. The Dutch defender revealed that Arteta has emphasized the family atmosphere - including a chocolate brown labrador named "Victory" - as part of the conversations.
"That's how Arteta thinks, how he makes you better," Timber praised the new teacher. "I've only known Arteta for a couple of weeks, but I realize it very quickly because you need to learn a lot in a short amount of time. The way Arteta sees the game, and I try to look at it the same way. He sees it. It's more of a big picture, so that's what I'm trying to do. Let's see what it brings in the next few months and years."
