It’s shaping up to be a sensational season for Arsenal this year.
With nine games played in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side sit atop the Premier League table, six points clear of Manchester City and seven points clear of Liverpool.
Moreover, while the Gunners look impossible to score against at the moment, there is a real sense that the team could still move up a gear or two.
Even then, several Arsenal players are performing at levels fans have not seen before, including one big-money signing who is emulating Jurrien Timber’s rise.
Timber's rise at Arsenal
Arsenal made a number of impressive signings in the summer of 2023, including David Raya, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz.
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Yet the player fans probably knew the least amount, due to him not playing in England, was Timber, who moved to the Emirates from Ajax for a fee of around £38m.
Unfortunately, the supporters wouldn’t learn much about their new defender during his first season at the club either, as he suffered an ACL injury in the opening game against Nottingham Forest, which kept him out until the final match of the campaign.
Fortunately, the Dutchman didn’t miss anywhere near as many games last season and, as a result, made an incredible impact on the team, primarily by being solid as a rock on the right-hand side.
However, this year has seen the Utrecht-born monster take yet another step forward in red and white, as, in addition to being an elite lockdown defender, he has also become a genuine attacking threat.
For example, in just nine Premier League games, the 24-year-old has scored two goals and provided two assists.
Moreover, according to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of full-backs in the league this season for non-penalty expected and actual goals, shots on target and through balls, the top 6% for passes into the penalty area, and more, all per 90.
Goals
0.26
Top 1%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.26
Top 1%
Shots on Target
0.64
Top 1%
Through Balls
1.03
Top 1%
SCA (Shot)
0.51
Top 1%
Passes into Penalty Area
1.79
Top 4%
GCA (Fouls Drawn)
0.13
Top 4%
Tackles (Att 3rd)
0.90
Top 4%
Penalty Kicks Won
0.13
Top 4%
xG: Expected Goals
0.23
Top 7%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.23
Top 7%
Progressive Passes
6.41
Top 7%
In all, Timber has become an all-action full-back who excels in all facets of the game, and as a result, it’s almost impossible to disagree with analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he is “one of the best Emirates-era signings.”
Therefore, it’s massively encouraging to see another one of Arteta’s big-money signings start to emulate him in certain ways this season.
The Arsenal star emulating Timber
There are plenty of Arsenal players having stellar campaigns so far this season, but someone who’s been a big surprise in the best way possible has been Riccardo Calafiori.
The Italian international joined the club in the summer of 2024, and while he did so with plenty of fanfare, he did not have the best of debut seasons in red and white.
In fact, across the whole campaign, the former Bologna star made just 29 appearances, totalling 1497 minutes, which was almost entirely down to his truly dreadful injury record, which saw him miss 30 games for club and country and spend 175 days on the sidelines.
24/25
175
30
23/24
4
2
22/23
53
15
21/22
73
18
20/21
118
33
19/20
43
5
18/19
291
75
It was so bad, and Myles Lewis-Skelly did such a good job in his place that there were doubts over whether he’d actually be able to hold down a place in the team, or if he would suffer injury after injury before being shipped off, akin to what happened with Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Fortunately, this year has been completely different, and as things stand, he’s already made ten appearances for the first team, totalling 791 minutes, and is yet to miss a single game through injury.
This comeback is one of the similarities he shares with Timber, and the second is that, on top of simply being available, he’s also been absolutely incredible for the team this year, both defensively and especially going forward.
For example, he’s already scored a goal and provided two assists, and his underlying numbers, like the Dutchman’s, are sensational.
According to FBref, the £120k-per-week monster ranks in the top 1% of full-backs in the league for total shots, the top 4% for expected goals, the top 7% for goals plus assists, the top 10% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.
On top of the incredible numbers, the Rome-born wildcard is also one of the most entertaining players to watch in the league.
Shots Total
2.20
Top 1%
GCA (Defensive Action)
0.13
Top 1%
xG: Expected Goals
0.25
Top 4%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.25
Top 4%
SCA (Fouls Drawn)
0.26
Top 4%
GCA (Shot)
0.13
Top 4%
Goals + Assists
0.39
Top 7%
npxG + xAG
0.31
Top 7%
SCA (Shot)
0.39
Top 7%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.65
Top 7%
Touches (Att Pen)
3.50
Top 7%
SCA (Defensive Action)
0.13
Top 10%
Assists
0.26
Top 13%
npxG/Shot
0.11
Top 16%
GCA (Live-ball Pass)
0.39
Top 16%
Goals
0.13
Top 19%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.13
Top 19%
Passes Completed (Medium)
18.78
Top 19%
For example, the freedom given to him by Arteta and his subsequent roaming approach to the game have led him to being described as a “wild horse on the loose” by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean and “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” by journalist James Benge.
Ultimately, while he had a poor start to life at Arsenal, Calafiori has exploded into life this season, and, like Timber, has become one of the most indispensable players in Arteta’s squad.
