Rio Ferdinand Believes Jurrien Timber Will Improve Arsenal’s Centre-Back Options
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Ajax’s Jurrien Timber will be an improvement on Arsenal’s current centre-back options and expects him to replace Gabriel Magalhaes in the Gunners’ starting XI. The north London club have agreed a fee with Ajax worth £36million, plus a further £4m in add-ons, and he is set to fly to London imminently to undergo a medical and put pen to paper on a long-term contract.
Ferdinand, who is now a pundit, said on his FIVE YouTube show: ‘Manchester United were in for him before they got Lisandro Martinez. They didn’t manage to get that deal done but he was one of the players that was being earmarked by Erik ten Hag – who obviously fancies him as a player, rates him highly obviously, had him at Ajax. He’s quick, he can play, he’s good on the ball and he’ll be a good addition to their team. I think he’s an improvement on what they’ve got as well. I’d probably look at it and say Timber and William Saliba would play.’
Ferdinand believes that the addition of Timber would provide Arsenal with a strong centre-back partnership of Gabriel, Ben White, Timber and Saliba. He also believes that the Gunners need to bring in another attacking player to provide cover and competition for Bukayo Saka, who looked exhausted during the run-in at the backend of a gruelling season.
He added: ‘I still think maybe you need one more, an attacking player, to cover those positions, especially the wide areas. Kai Havertz maybe could dovetail out there at times, but I think you still need one. I think you can’t afford to let Bukayo Saka play another full season not missing any games. He may have missed one or two here and there, but he played too many games last season for a young kid, he’s going to burn out. I think you need to save him a little bit and have moments where you pull him out of the team and there won’t be a big drop-off in output.’
The addition of Timber would be a welcome boost for Arsenal and could help them challenge for a top four finish in the Premier League next season. With the Dutchman’s arrival, Arsenal will have a strong defence and an attacking threat that could make them a force to be reckoned with.
It remains to be seen how quickly Timber can settle into life at Arsenal and whether or not he can form a formidable partnership with Saliba in the heart of defence. However, with Ferdinand’s backing, it looks like Arsenal have found themselves a quality centre-back who could prove to be an important signing for the club.