Arsenal legend Martin Keown knows a good defender when he sees one.
The Englishman played over 440 games for the Gunners back in the day and won 11 trophies, including three Premier League titles.
He is one of the greatest defenders of his generation, and when he talks about centre-halves, their quality and positioning, it’s always a great listen.
Keown is a big fan of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at Arsenal. Now, he has spotted another defender at the Emirates who is similar.
Martin Keown says Jurrien Timber shares the same DNA as Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba
Jurrien Timber has been at Arsenal for well over a year now.
The Dutchman was expected by many to become a real star in his debut season, but unfortunately for him, he suffered a terrible injury on his Premier League debut.
Timber barely played last term as a result, but he has featured in every single game so far this campaign.
Arsenal fans are all really impressed with Timber’s performances, and it looks like he has caught club legend Keown’s eye too.
The 58-year-old heaped praise on the Dutch defender’s physicality and went as far as saying he shares the same defensive DNA as Saliba and Gabriel, who are the two best centre-backs in the Premier League.
Keown wrote in the Daily Mail: “If you want to beat the very best, you need to show steel above everything else.
“Arsenal are very good at that side of the game, with centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel forming possibly the Premier League’s toughest partnership.
“Supporters had to wait a long time to see Jurrien Timber, but now we all know why they signed him. He shares the same DNA as Gabriel and Saliba, as shown by the physicality of his displays against Tottenham and Atalanta.”
Arteta has a big selection headache at Arsenal but it’s a good thing
Arsenal had a lot of problems at left-back last season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s defending became a big concern, while Jakub Kiwior wasn’t great at inverting. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury issues made him unavailable for large parts.
Timber has been Arsenal’s first-choice left-back over the last few weeks, and the Dutch international has been fantastic in every single game.
However, now, Arteta also has Riccardo Calafiori available at his disposal, and the Italian has shown flashes of his brilliance, most recently against Atalanta in Italy.
Arsenal have two top-quality options at left-back now, and Arteta will have trouble with his team selection every week. But, that is a good headache to have.
It will be interesting to see who will start against Manchester City – Timber of Calafiori.
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