New Arsenal star Jurrien Timber has claimed that his side’s victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield will give them confidence heading into the season.
Timber joined from Ajax for an initial fee of around £34m, and instantly impressed on his competitive debut, starting at left-back at Wembley.
Arsenal scored a last-minute goal to make the score 1-1 before winning the subsequent penalty shootout against the treble winners, and it was a strong overall performance from Mikel Arteta’s team.
Speaking to Arsenal.com, Timber has now claimed that this will given the Gunners a confidence boost, and has sent a warning that they will be competing for major honours this season.
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“I think it gives us a lot of confidence. We can compete with them and everyone saw that, against one of the biggest teams in the world, if not the biggest. It doesn’t say everything, but it says a lot,” he stated.
“The expectations are high, which is good for a club like Arsenal, so let’s aim for the highest possible things and we’ll see at the end of the season where we’re standing.”
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Timber’s immediate impact
With Oleksandr Zinchenko out injured, Timber slotted into his place ahead of Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, and excelled instantly as an inverted left-back.
There will be a lot of excitement over Timber as the 22-year-old adjusts to life in North London, and he can help raise the level of quality within the squad.
Arsenal’s title challenge faltered because of a lack of depth at the back when Tomiyasu and William Saliba picked up long-term injuries in March last season, and Timber can help cover for this.
His versatility means he can play anywhere across the back line, and his strong ability on the ball means he can comfortably replicate Zinchenko’s impact in build-up play.
It was an incredible debut for Timber in the Community Shield, and Arsenal will hope to build upon their victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.