Data Scout Report: Jurriën Timber
Reportedly, the Dutch international center-back has reached a personal agreement to join the English club Arsenal. However, negotiations between Arsenal and the player’s current team, Ajax, are still ongoing, as a transfer fee has yet to be agreed upon. Despite the impending deal, it’s worth exploring the reasons behind Arsenal’s interest in acquiring him.
Who Is Jurriën Timber?
Timber is currently a player for the renowned Dutch club Ajax, having joined their ranks in 2014 from Feyenoord’s academy at the young age of 13. After four years of development, he signed his initial professional contract with the club. Since then, Timber has achieved remarkable success, securing two Eredivisie titles, one KNVB Cup, and even earning the prestigious Marco van Basten Award in 2022 for his outstanding performance throughout the season, solidifying his status as the player of the year.
Timber is a highly sought-after center-back known for his exceptional ball-playing abilities. Moreover, his versatility extends to the full-back position, making him an even more valuable asset. His proficiency in initiating play from the back perfectly aligns with Arteta’s tactical setup, emphasizing the importance of building up from deep positions.
In addition to his central defensive role, Timber can also offer competition at right-back, where Benjamin White showcased his brilliance during Arsenal’s impressive 2022/23 campaign. However, this area of the squad lacks depth, making Timber’s potential arrival even more significant in terms of bolstering the team’s options and overall strength.
Analysis
This analysis only looks at defenders who have played a minimum of 1000 minutes in the Eredivise from the 2022/23 season, with data sourced from Fbref.com.
Aerial Ability: Slight Weakness
In the Eredivisie, Timber was involved in a total of 95 aerial duels, sucessfully winning 47% of them. While there is room for improvement in this aspect, it is worth considering his height of 5’10” as a factor.
Given his relatively shorter stature for a center-back, it is understandable that opponents may seek to exploit this vulnerability in aerial situations when he is positioned in the center of defense.
However, it is important to acknowledge that Timber’s overall skill set and contributions extend beyond aerial duels, and his ability to read the game and utilize his other strengths can compensate for any perceived limitations in height.
Passing Ability: Excellent
Timber showcases exceptional proficiency as a passer of the ball. Notably, he registered the highest number of passes among all defenders in the Eredivisie.
What’s even more impressive is that, despite the high volume of passes, he boasted the highest pass completion percentage. This statistic is a testament to his ability to retain possession effectively, keep the play flowing from the back line, and demonstrate a willingness to receive the ball even in challenging situations.
Timber’s passing prowess not only contributes to his team’s overall ball retention but also highlights his composure and confidence in distributing the ball accurately and intelligently.
While it is true that a high pass completion rate and the sheer volume of passes do not provide us with insights into the direction and purpose of Timber’s passes, it is essential to evaluate his ability to advance the ball towards the opposition goal.
To truly gauge his effectiveness as a ball-playing center-back, we must delve into his performance in terms of progressive passing, assessing whether he excels in propelling the ball forward and contributing to the team’s attacking play.
Let us now explore how Timber fares in terms of his ability to generate forward momentum and create opportunities in the opponent’s half.
Progressive Passing Ability: Excellent
Once again, Timber stands out as a clear outlier in his ability to progress the ball from the back line. This remarkable skill further enhances the significance of his high pass completion rate, considering the inherent risk involved in attempting more ambitious passes.
In fact, he boasts the highest number of progressive passes per 90 minutes among all defenders in the league, showcasing his knack for driving the team forward and initiating attacks. Moreover, Timber also leads the league in terms of passes into the final third, emphasizing his ability to find and execute these crucial passes that can unlock opposition defenses.
His capacity to consistently make such passes not only speaks to his technical proficiency but also underscores his exceptional vision and awareness while in possession.
Ball Carrying Ability: Good
Timber’s frequency of attempting progressive passes per 90 minutes surpasses the league average, even though he experiences a slightly higher rate of being dispossessed compared to the league average. However, it’s worth noting that the rate of dispossession stands at just 23.7% of his attempts.
While there is room for improvement in reducing the number of dispossession instances, it is important to emphasize that this does not indicate poor performance. Instead, it highlights an area where Timber can continue to refine his game, striving for an even higher success rate while taking calculated risks to advance the ball.
Defensive Positioning: Good
During the 2022/23 season, Timber recorded an impressive 42 interceptions, averaging 1.2 per game. This figure surpasses the league average of 29 interceptions, highlighting his ability to read and disrupt the opposition’s play effectively. Additionally, he blocked fewer shots on goal compared to the league average (Timber: 0.38, Eredivisie Average: 0.59).
However, it’s important to consider that Ajax’s playing style often results in conceding fewer shots on goal than the league average. Thus, the discrepancy in blocked shots could be attributed to the team’s defensive approach rather than any deficiency in Timber’s performance.
Other stats:
#1 in Eredivisie for Touches: 3050
#1 in Eredivisie for Progressive Carries Distance: 7439 yards
#1 in Eredivisie for Pass Completion %
Report Conclusion
Jurriën Timber’s exceptional statistics in passing and progression highlight his profile as a highly competent ball-playing defender. His impressive numbers from the 2022/23 Eredivisie season make him an excellent fit for Arsenal’s back line.
Timber’s presence would undoubtedly enhance the team’s build-up play, bringing a new dimension to their defensive approach. With his abilities, he has the potential to contribute significantly to Arsenal’s overall playing style and provide a boost to their back line.
In addition to his skills as a center-back, Timber’s versatility is a valuable asset for Arsenal. His ability to play at right-back offers flexibility in the lineup, either as potential competition for Benjamin White or as reliable backup when needed.
Furthermore, Timber’s proficiency in vision allows him to make exceptional progressive passes into the final third, effectively kick-starting attacking plays and adding a dynamic dimension to Arsenal’s gameplay. His range of passing and ability to initiate attacks from the back line would undoubtedly be a significant asset to the team.
While Timber’s weakness in aerial duels is a legitimate area of concern, it’s worth noting that similar concerns were raised about Lisandro Martínez before his move from Ajax to Manchester United in the summer of 2022. Martínez, despite being ridiculed for his lack of height, demonstrated that this particular skill is not always necessary to excel in the modern-day Premier League.
It serves as a reminder that there are alternative ways for a player to thrive in the league, such as through exceptional positional awareness, reading of the game, and technical proficiency.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Jurriën Timber’s arrival would be an outstanding acquisition for any European club, including Arsenal. His exceptional abilities and versatile playing style make him a standout prospect.
At 22 years of age, his undeniable talent and skill set, there is little doubt that Timber would thrive within Arsenal’s ranks, contributing significantly to their future successes.
