Where Jurrien Timber fits into the Arsenal defence: The end of the road for Ben White or just a £40m William Saliba back-up?

Timber is not a new face on the scene. Despite being just 22 years old, he has already made well over 100 appearances for Ajax and earned 15 caps for the Netherlands.

Continuing a fine tradition of world-class youth development in the Dutch capital, Timber flew through the age groups at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, before making his senior debut in 2020. He has scarcely been out of the starting XI since, helping Ajax to Eredivisie titles in 2021 and 2022.

While the 2022-23 season was a torrid one for the Amsterdammers, Timber's reputation remains sky high. No one in the Ajax squad made more appearances than him last campaign, and he was picked in various outlets' Eredivisie team of the season.

Timber had long been expected to turn up in the Premier League at some point. However, Manchester United had always seemed like his most likely destination. It was under Erik ten Hag at Ajax that Timber developed into a top-class defender, and the United boss made no secret of his desire to bring him to Old Trafford last summer. “I think that all top clubs in Europe have Timber in their sights," he said.

This kickstarted a frantic few months of rumours, but in the end the two clubs could not agree a deal. Louis van Gaal, a huge fan of Timber, might have played a role in the move failing to materialise, as he seemed to warn his golden boy off joining the Red Devils in June.

Regardless of whether Van Gaal influenced proceedings, Ten Hag's hopes of signing Timber have now been extinguished.

That's because Arsenal have swooped in to secure Timber's services this summer. Personal terms were not an issue, due to the player's enthusiasm for the move and the Gunners' generous offer.

Reaching an agreement on a transfer fee has been significantly harder, though. Timber has two years left on his deal, so Ajax could feasibly have held onto him for another season before selling him on.

That is likely why they rejected the Gunners' initial bid of £30 million ($38.1m) in June. However, a deal has now been struck, and Timber has now signed a long-term contract in north London.

So, why exactly have Arsenal been convinced to spend all that money on Timber? His greatest attribute is his zen-like composure on the ball. Following in a long line of Dutch defenders before him, Timber is superb technically, with no Eredivisie player completing more short passes than him during the 2022-23 season.

For a possession-heavy side like Arsenal, this will be a priceless asset. It's worth noting that Timber's 74.7 completed passes per 90 minutes was comfortably higher than what any Arsenal player managed last campaign too, though this should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering how dominant Ajax are in the Netherlands.

In addition, his patience on the ball should suit him well to the Gunners' style of play. As Timber is so confident retaining possession he often waits until the opposition has committed as much as possible before firing his pass through the lines.

Arsenal lit up the Premier League with their lightning-quick transitions last term, and it's easy to see Timber playing a quarterback-like role from the heart of the defence.

If there's anything Timber needs to get better at, it's likely one-vs-one situations - particularly against physical No.9s. Standing at 182cm tall, he is not the most imposing centre-back and has at times struggled against particularly bruising centre-forwards.

His limited frame also means he can be targeted by aerial balls, something that can be particularly problematic when he's covering the back post as a full-back. He has the potential to be caught in the wrong body position defensively too. Fortunately, Timber's pace means he is able to recover quickly if he makes an error.

It's hard to find much to fault with Timber in possession. If there's any area of concern, it's that he may not be able to play the long, sweeping passes that Arteta's side used so effectively last season.

Nothing played a bigger role in derailing Arsenal's title charge than William Saliba going down with a back injury in March. The Frenchman had scarcely put a foot wrong after finally breaking into the Gunners' first team and results fell off a cliff without him marshalling the backline; Arsenal picked up nine points from a possible 18 in the first six games of his absence.

It's fairly evident that one of the roles Timber is being earmarked for is replacing Saliba if he goes down again - and few could argue that he doesn't represent a dramatic upgrade on Rob Holding in that regard.

There are plenty of similarities between the pair. Much like Timber was for Ajax, Saliba often acted as the source of Arsenal's attacking moves last season, averaging more touches and passes per 90 minutes than Gabriel Magalhaes, his defensive partner.

The two players also display a preference for keeping it simple, while the aforementioned Gabriel is more inclined to try a Hollywood-style ball over the top. Timber should, in theory at least, be a similarly good foil for Gabriel as Saliba has proved to be in recent times.

Timber is not only capable of playing in the middle of the defence, though. Arteta has a history of turning central defenders into full-time right-backs and, after having success with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, this could be his next project.

Not that Timber is unfamiliar with playing out wide. Throughout his senior Ajax career, he has been deployed at right-back on 14 occasions and he has also been used there for his country. It's been a mixed bag in the position for Timber. He was terrorised by Kylian Mbappe during the Dutch's 4-0 defeat to France in March, but grabbed an assist out wide in a 4-2 Eredivisie victory over Volendam.

So, should White and Tomiyasu be concerned for their short-term futures in the starting XI? Possibly. Technically, Timber is better than the aforementioned pair. This could prove particularly helpful if Arteta follows his mentor Pep Guardiola's lead and fully commits to inverted full-backs next season.

However, White has a lot of credit in the bank, having started all but two of Arsenal's Premier League games last season, and generally performing extremely well. Of course, adding another centre-back to the rotation also offers Arteta the chance to experiment with a back three if he desires. In this case, all three players could see minutes, with Timber playing on the right side of the same system for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup.

Every move Arsenal make this summer will be scrutinised with laser precision, due to the stakes being so high following their near miss last season. By agreeing to sign Timber, the Gunners have made a strong start and even the most critical of onlookers would have to accept this as the case.

Not only does his arrival deal with the thorny issue of how Saliba would be replaced should he be unavailable for a period again next season, it also opens up a string of exciting opportunities for Arteta to shake up the defence.

The increased competition for places should push White and Tomiyasu to work even harder, and there's even the possibility of a reshuffle to a back three if required. In what is the most important transfer window in the club's modern history, Arsenal have identified a real gem.