Jurrien Timber is delighted to see his patience rewarded following his £35m switch to Arsenal – ‘one of the most beautiful clubs in the world’.
The versatile defender was in high demand last summer and was extensively linked with Manchester United and a reunion with former manager Erik ten Hag.
However, Ajax managed to persuade the Netherlands international to stay put before eventually allowing him to make the move to the Premier League a year later.
Timber is one of three new signings at Arsenal in an exciting revamp of the squad with the Gunners keen to better last season’s second-placed finish.
“It’s a dream come true,” Timber told reporters on Arsenal’s US tour.
“My patience has paid off. I just followed my feelings. I was patient and it’s paid off and I’m at one of the most beautiful clubs in the world.
“They had a great season last year and now they’ve bought some players so expectations are really high but it’s nice to see they are building and building.
“Let’s see what this year will bring.”
Timber is keen to repay Mikel Arteta’s show of faith after deciding immediately that he wanted to join following initial talks with the Arsenal manager.
“They bought me for a reason,” Timber explained.
“For me it’s about showing my skills and adding something to this group and I hope I can do that this season.
“First conversations are between the trainer and me but it was obviously a good conversation.
“We had a couple more after that and I decided really quickly that I wanted to join Arsenal.
“In the first moments you are a bit nervous but I’m a calm guy.
“The guys are so welcoming, it makes it very easy to come into this group and I feel like one of them.”
