Jurriën Timber explains why Arsenal feels special to him

Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber has opened up on why playing for the club carries such personal meaning, describing his time in north London as the fulfilment of a childhood dream.

Timber has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers throughout the 2025/26 campaign, featuring in 20 of their 21 Premier League matches and playing a key role in five of their six Champions League fixtures. His consistency has underpinned a strong collective season, with Arsenal firmly established among the league’s leading sides.

For Timber, the emotional link to Arsenal stretches back long before his professional career. Growing up in the Netherlands, his support for the club was influenced by family and admiration from afar.

“I started supporting Arsenal because my oldest brother was an Arsenal fan,” Timber explained. “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.”

The defender admitted that reflecting on his first moments at the club helps keep perspective amid the demands of elite football.

“Sometimes you have to go back to that first moment when you signed, to understand how proud you were, signing for Arsenal.”

Despite joining a long line of Dutch players to wear the red and white, Timber revealed that the Arsenal player he admired most growing up was not from his own country.

“You know who I loved to watch when I was younger? Jack Wilshere,” he said. “It was Robin van Persie as well, of course, but he went to United, so the one I enjoyed a lot was Jack.

“He could do so much from such a young age. He played with courage, elegance, and made Arsenal look nice.”

Now an established figure in Arsenal’s back line, Timber was quick to deflect individual praise, stressing that the club’s defensive solidity is rooted in collective effort.

“I think it’s cooperation, not just the backline — it’s everyone,” he said. “It’s something the club and the manager have been working on for a long time.

“I’m lucky to be part of this group. The players I play with, especially in defence, I can learn from every day. The standards are very high, and that’s expected every single game.”

Having followed Arsenal closely this season, the cohesion Timber describes has been evident, with structure and intensity consistent across competitions.

Attention now shifts to Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. United arrive with renewed confidence after a 2–0 derby victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford under interim manager Michael Carrick.

For Timber and Arsenal, the fixture represents another opportunity to reinforce momentum in a season where belief and balance continue to grow.

Arsenal’s upcoming run of fixtures will further test their title credentials, starting with the visit of Manchester United. For Timber, maintaining fitness and form will remain central as Arsenal navigate a decisive stretch across domestic and European competitions.

However, it remains too early to draw firm conclusions, with consistency over the coming months likely to define the season’s outcome.

Can Jurriën Timber become one of Arsenal’s defining defenders of this era?