£38m Arsenal star will get ‘huge pay rise’ as Andrea Berta masterstrokes continue | OneFootball

Arsenal are set to hand Jurrien Timber a bumper new contract, sources have told TEAMtalk, with manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta hugely impressed with the defender’s performances.

Timber has emerged as one of the Premier League’s top full-backs in the last 18 months, and we can now reveal that the defender’s new contract at Arsenal is edging close to completion.

The 24-year-old Netherlands international joined Arsenal from Ajax in the summer of 2023 for £38million (€43.6m, $51.2m. Much was expected of Timber when he arrived at the Emirates Stadium, but he missed almost all of his first campaign due to a knee injury.

Timber returned to action in 2024 and has now become the first-choice right-back under manager Arteta at Arsenal, with Ben White relegated to a squad role.

Arsenal sporting director Berta has made keeping the squad in place a priority and has already tied down the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri to new deals in the last six months.

As we revealed on December 18, Bukayo Sako’s new deal with Arsenal is close to completion, and we can confirm that talks with Timber are progressing, with Berta ready to reward him for his impressive performances.

Timber is currently one of the lower-paid members of the Arsenal first team and is set to be rewarded with a huge pay rise as a reward for his progress.

Jurrien Timber ‘the best right-back’ in Premier League

Timber has made 24 appearances for Arsenal so far this season, scoring three goals and giving four assists in the process.

The right-back’s performances have been a major reason why Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League table.

Liverpool lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid at the end of last season and signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen as his replacement at right-back.

While Frimpong has been unfortunate with injury problems, former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock believes that Timber would be a great signing for Arne Slot’s side, but, of course, that is not going to happen.

Metro quoted Warnock as saying about Timber on December 28: “When I look at the defence and who Liverpool should sign, personally I think they need a centre back and a right back.

“In the right back position, they have Frimpong, Gomez and Bradley. All three are injury-prone, and they are not robust enough to play week in week out, and that is something they have to go away from.

“Liverpool has to look at how reliable their players are to play every single week, and at the moment, those players aren’t fit enough for that. That is a major issue for Liverpool at the moment.

“Liverpool are a better team when they have a proper right back in that position. It balances the team better and allows Szoboszlai to play in the midfield.

“So, I think signing a right back is equally as important as signing a centre back at the moment.

“The issue I have with right-backs at the moment is that it always seems to be midfield players playing there, the Guardiola style. I think you need a specialist for that right back, which can be difficult to find in January.

“In an ideal world, I would bring in Jurrien Timber, but I don’t think Arsenal would allow that. I think he is the best right back in the league.

“I think he is brilliant. Someone of that quality who is good in 1v1 situations. Since his ACL injury, he has shown his robustness to come back.”

Meanwhile, a Real Madrid winger has been tipped to end up at Arsenal in 2026, although sources have told us that Los Blancos will not let him leave in the January transfer window.