"I've always been a fan of Arsenal" – Jurrien Timber speaks out for the first time after completing Gunners move

Jurrien Timber has revealed that he has been an ardent Arsenal supporter since his childhood after becoming the club's second summer arrival on Friday (July 14).

The Gunners have completed a permanent move to sign Timber from his boyhood club Ajax in a switch worth up to £38.5 million. He will provide competition to centre-back pair William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes and also to right-back duo Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Speaking to his new club's official website, Timber opened up on his admiration for Arsenal since his boyhood days. He elaborated:

"I've always been a fan of Arsenal. It was because of my brothers. They were always fans and I just loved seeing the team play. They had big players, the way they played, the style. I just love the club. I had this from a young age but my brothers kind of put that in me. I liked watching Robin van Persie of course and Thierry Henry. They were my favourite players."

Expressing his excitement about joining the Gunners, Timber added:

"There are a couple of players [who have come here from Ajax], but there have been not a lot. So I think it's special to be here as an Ajax player and it's special that they see me as the player I am."

He added:

"I'm really excited, especially now I'm here. Everyone is so nice and it's a big club. I'm excited to play for this beautiful club, and I can't wait to start, and to see the fans obviously in the stadium."

Shedding light on his playing style, the Dutchman continued:

"I think that I'm lucky to say that I can play as a central defender, as a right full-back, sometimes even on the midfield. I think that's a good thing and I need to keep that."

He concluded:

"I just like the way Arsenal play, is a bit similar to Ajax's style and I like to play from the back. I can see a lot of similarities, especially in the way both want to play."

Timber, 22, guided Ajax to three trophies after making his senior debut in 2020. He netted six goals and laid out four assists in 121 games for the club.

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Arsenal to take transfer spending to close to £200 million with Declan Rice signing soon

So far, Arsenal have dished out over £98 million on two new signings this summer. They roped in Kai Havertz from Chelsea for an initial £60 million plus £5 million in bonuses prior to Jurrien Timber's signing this week.

The Gunners are expected to announce Declan Rice as their third summer signing this Friday. They have promised to send the final documents to West Ham United as soon as possible, according to Sky Sports.

Mikel Arteta's side struck a deal to sign the 24-year-old midfielder for an initial fee of £100 million with £5 million in potential add-ons eight days ago. However, they have failed to announce the Englishman as their record signing due to delays in handling the paperwork.