Eberechi Eze knew he would find quality players when he moved to Arsenal but even then he's still been surprised by the level of one of his team-mates at the Emirates
Eberechi Eze made his move to Arsenal in the summer
Eberechi Eze made his move to Arsenal in the summer
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Arsenal new boy Eberechi Eze admits he's been stunned by how good Jurrien Timber is after rubbing shoulders with the Dutch defender at the Emirates.
The versatile defender moved to north London just over two years ago, heading over from Ajax following years of Premier League interest in him. Timber's debut campaign was effectively robbed from him by injury but he's since made up for lost time, establishing himself as Mikel Arteta's first-choice right-back.
Timber's qualities have certainly left their mark on Eze, who equally has made an impact of his own since joining Arsenal. The former Crystal Palace ace knew he had to expect a squad bursting with quality when he made the switch across the capital. But even though he had high hopes for what he'd find, Timber has still exceeded what he thought he would see as Eze hailed the player and the person.
Speaking on the Beast Mode On podcast, he said: "Everyone is sort of what you expect them to be. The expectation of all the players is high. I’ll say one player who has gone even beyond the high expectation I already had – because I’d heard good things about him – was Jurrien Timber. He’s a special player and a special guy.
"I think for me, in an environment of people and you have a culture that is geared towards improving, these guys all want to improve. So for me it’s a pleasure to be part of it and to see guys like him who perform the way they perform, who carry themselves the way they carry themselves. It’s inspiring, for sure."
Timber is part of a lean Arsenal defence that have long been regarded as one of Europe's best and this year have broken more records. They've won all four of the Champions League games they've played so far without conceding and have also recently enjoyed a run of four successive Premier League clean sheets.
Jurrien Timber has been hugely impressive at right-back
Jurrien Timber has been hugely impressive at right-back
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Gary Neville recently marked Timber out as the best in his position throughout England's top flight and claimed he was close to being world class.
"Jurrien Timber is the best full-back in the league at the moment," he said on The Overlap.
"I think Timber is almost, in my mind, I would class as being… do you know the guy that plays for Real Madrid? Carvajal. For me, he’s the best. And I think Timber’s the nearest to him at the moment"
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