Arsenal have been told that one of their defenders is the best in the world at his position this season.
The Gunners are preparing for a trip to Stamford Bridge where they will take on a Chelsea side who are their biggest challengers in the Premier League at the moment. Chelsea are six points behind, and could close the gap to three if they manage to win on Sunday.
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However, if Arsenal win, they will stretch their lead to nine points at the top of the table, which would be a real statement from the Gunners.
One of the reasons they’ve been so good this season is their defence. Mikel Arteta has built a side who are very tough to break down, and the Arsenal boss will be delighted with the way his back four have performed so far this season.
Ignoring injuries, Arteta has found a consistent back four, with Riccardo Calafiori at left-back, Jurrien Timber at right-back, and two centre-backs in Gabriel and William Saliba. Dutch international Timber has been excellent this season; He’s certainly living up to his £35m price tag.
Arsenal told Timber is the world’s best right-back
The Gunners signed Timber in July 2023 for a fee of £35m from Dutch side Ajax. However, he suffered a major knee injury in his first season, meaning that he had to wait until August 2024 to make his Premier League debut.
Since then, Timber has been getting better and better, and the Dutch international is now at his best. Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has said that he’s the best right-back in the world.
Aliadiere told aceodds.com: “I don’t think there’s a better right-back in the world than Timber. When he first joined the club, I thought he was a good signing, and then he got injured straight away. I worried if his Arsenal career was over because I know how tough it is to come back from such a big injury.
“But he’s been great since he got back, and I know a lot of people prefer their full-backs to attack, but for me, he’s good at attacking, but he’s also strong at defending. He rarely gets beaten in a 1 vs 1, and he makes the right choice on the ball. When it comes to physical and technical ability, and then his decision-making. I don’t think there’s anyone better.”
Click here to see Arsenal’s latest injury news ahead of the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon.