Jurrien Timber has been one of our most consistent players in the 2025/2026 season, helping us to a fantastic campaign so far.
Our Dutch defender, who grew up an Arsenal fan, has featured in 20 of our 21 Premier League games, and five of our six Champions League matches.
For Jurrien, this is nothing short of a childhood dream come true.
“(I started supporting Arsenal) because my oldest brother was an Arsenal fan. Often you follow the ones you look up to, so I followed his club.
“I watched Arsenal a lot when I was young, and eventually signing for Arsenal is a dream coming true, it was massive.”
“Sometimes you have to go back to that moment, that first moment when you signed, to understand the feeling of how proud you were, signing for Arsenal.”
While Jurrien has joined a long list of Dutch stars to wear our colours, the Gunner he looked up to most was actually an England international.
“You know who I loved to watch when I was younger? Jack Wilshere. It was Robin van Persie as well of course, but he went to United, so the one I was enjoying a lot was Jack.
“He was someone that could do a lot from such a young age already, he played with so much courage, he was elegant, such a nice player to watch, he made Arsenal look nice.”
Jurrien has come a long way from dreaming of wearing the famous red and white to becoming a staple in our formidable defensive line.
But the fullback insisted that our incredible defensive record is a result of good team performances.
“I think it’s cooperation, not just the backline, I think it’s everyone. It’s something that the club (and) the manager have been working on for a long time.
“Me, I’m lucky to be a part of this group. The players I play with, lots of the defenders, I can learn from every day, and I think we make each other better.
“The standards are very high and that’s expected every single game; we make each other better, keep each other sharp and on our toes.”
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