“If you can give something back in return in the form of a transfer fee of around £40m, this has been the almost perfect picture. Of course, last season was disappointing, but before that I won two league titles and enjoyed wonderful years.”
Timber has credited Mikel Arteta in playing a big role in convincing him to move to Arsenal. He added: “I was already a fan of the way they play, and after several conversations with Mikel Arteta, mainly via Zoom and during days around the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United, we met live and I was completely convinced.
“Of course, it was mainly football-related, but the coach focused on me as a person and clearly wanted to get to know me better. He also gave me an even better picture of the club, which I knew from a distance thanks to Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie, but about which I could not ask anyone at the Dutch national team these days.”