Ebereshi Eze knew he would find quality players if he moved to Arsenal, but he was still surprised by the level of his teammates at the Emirates.
Arsenal new signing Eberechi Eze admits he was surprised by Julian Timber’s brilliance after rubbing shoulders with the Dutch defender at the Emirates.
The versatile defender moved to north London just over two years ago, joining from Ajax following long-standing interest from the Premier League. Timber’s debut season was effectively taken away by injury, but he has since made up for lost time and established himself as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice right-back.
Timber’s qualities have certainly influenced Eze, who has similarly influenced him since joining Arsenal. The former Crystal Palace ace knew when he moved to the capital that he had to expect the team to be full of quality. But as much as Eze praised the player and the person, Timber still exceeded expectations even though he had high expectations for what he could find.
Speaking on the Beast Mode On podcast, he said: “Everyone is kind of up to the mark. Expectations are high for every player. I’d say Julian Timber is one player who went above and beyond the high expectations I already had, because I’ve heard good things about him. He’s a special player, a special man.”
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“For me, in an environment where people come together, I think there’s a culture of improvement and they all want to improve. So, for me, it’s a great honor to be a part of that and to see players like him perform and act like themselves. It’s inspiring, for sure.”
Timber is part of a tight Arsenal defense that has been regarded as one of the best in Europe and has broken even more records this year. They have won all four Champions League games they have played so far without conceding a goal, and recently kept four clean sheets in a row in the Premier League.
Gary Neville recently named Timber the best across England’s top flight, claiming they are approaching world class.
“Julian Timber is the best full-back in the league at the moment,” he said on The Overlap.
“In my head, I think Timber is almost a player like… You know a player who plays for Real Madrid? Carvajal. For me he is the best. And I think Timber is the closest to him at the moment.”
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