Arteta praises £48m Arsenal star as "total player" ahead of West Ham clash

Arsenal take on West Ham United in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are presently two points behind leaders Liverpool and can temporarily climb to the top of the table by beating the Hammers. Arne Slot’s side face Chelsea on the road later in the day.

Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta was posed with plenty of questions and one of those was focused on Jurrien Timber, who has been excellent for the Gunners over the past year.

When asked whether Timber is the most underrated player in the league, Arteta said he rates him highly. He described him as a ‘total player’ who has almost every quality required from a defender.

He told Arsenal.com: “I don’t know because I rate him a lot, so I don’t know how people rate him.

“Hopefully a lot because when you’re talking about a total player, he has almost every quality that you want from a defender.”

Timber had the worst possible start to his Gunners career. He picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his league debut and made just three appearances during the 2023/24 campaign.

The Dutchman made amends with a terrific 2024/25 season. Timber had an extra workload at right-back due to Ben White’s injury concerns, but he managed to perform consistently at a high level.

The £48 million-rated star underwent ankle surgery in late May, which forced him to miss most of pre-season. Timber has since reclaimed his starting position at right-back ahead of White.

Timber has three goal contributions from eight appearances this season, and it is unsurprising that the club have started talks with the versatile defender over a new long-term contract.

The Ajax graduate is one of the lower earners at Arsenal at £90,000 per week. He is likely to be rewarded with at least a 50 percent hike for the progress made over the last 12 months.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Capology.com

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