‘He’s very good’: Ryan Babel praises ‘incredible’ Arsenal star, explains why ‘he’s so annoying’ | OneFootball

Former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel has heaped praise on Jurrien Timber amid his impressive start to his Premier League career with Arsenal.

The Netherlands international joined the Gunners from Ajax in 2023, but he made just two appearances last term due to a serious knee injury.

The 23-year-old has largely stayed unscathed this season. He is currently an assured starter at right-back under manager Mikel Arteta in Ben White’s injury absence.

In a recent interview, Babel said he is impressed with the progress Timber has made in recent years.

He said: “Yeah, Jurrien Timber is incredible, and he’s such a nice person and a good professional.

“I remember in my last spell at Ajax, he was in the second team, sometimes he played against the first team.

“We had these friendly matches against the second team where I had to play against him.

“I was already thinking, ‘Who’s this defender? He’s so annoying.’ He’s a good reader of situations and is not easy to pass.

“From watching him play, I think his best position is as a centre-back.

“He’s very good at the build-up, he’s very calm, he reads situations very well. The centre-back role – that’s his best position.

“I know in the Premier League they’re always questioning the height of a centre-back, which may also be a problem for him.

“He has the ability to play in multiple positions, but I do believe that centre-back is his favourite position, and that’s where you get the best form from him.”

Timber proving his worth after tough debut season

The Dutchman signed for the Gunners for £34 million from Ajax in 2023, and there were huge expectations after a bright pre-season with the club.

Things did not go as planned. Timber picked up a knee ligament injury in the league opener against Nottingham Forest. He was substituted in the 50th minute.

He made his second appearance in the final game of the campaign. However, his second year has been impressive. He has made the right-back position his own lately.

Timber has caught the eye with his distribution, overlapping runs and ability to win regular duels. He also possesses superb pace to make recoveries and crunch tackles.

Babel believes centre-back is Timber’s best position, but his future could be as a full-back as William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are assured starters in central defence for Arsenal.

Timber has featured in both full-back positions this season, but he will likely compete with White for a place on the right side of the back four in the long term.