Jurrien Timber will wear the No.12 at Arsenal after William Saliba vacated the shirt.
Timber, 22, completed his £38.5million move from Ajax on Friday. The Dutchman is the second player to sign for Arsenal this summer after former Chelsea star Kai Havertz, with West Ham skipper Declan Rice also set to complete a switch to the Emirates shortly.
Timber has signed a five-year deal and claims he's "always been a fan" of the Gunners. He also insists one of his favourite players is Thierry Henry, Arsenal's record scorer who wore the No.12 during his second spell with the club in 2012 and at international level.
Saliba vacated the No.12 earlier this summer when he took the No.2 and signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. Timber will now be hoping to play alongside Saliba in Mikel Arteta's defence and end the club's 20-year wait for a Premier League title next May.
Timber revealed his admiration for Henry, who wore the No.14 during his first spell with Arsenal while explaining his love for the club. The defender said: "It was because of my brothers. They were always Arsenal fans, and I just loved seeing Arsenal play.
"They had big players, the way they played, the style. I just love the club. I had this from a young age, but my brothers kind of put that in me. I liked watching Robin van Persie of course, and Thierry Henry. They were my favourite players."
Timber, who wore the No.2 at Ajax, picked the No.12 after Saliba traded in his old jersey. Saliba wore the No.2 during his loan spell at Marseille. He played 52 games for the French giants and won Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year award during the 2021/22 campaign.Saliba also wears the No.2 at international level for France. Havertz has taken the No.29 at Arsenal, although it's unclear what shirt Rice will wear once his transfer is completed. The No.41, the jersey Rice wears at West Ham, is free at Arsenal.
Timber insists he's "really excited" to join Arsenal and has also provided some insight on his preferred position. He said: "I think that I'm lucky to say that I can play as a central defender, as a right full-back, sometimes even on the midfield.
"So I think that's a good thing and I need to keep that. I just like the way Arsenal play, is a bit similar to Ajax’s style and I like to play from the back. I can see a lot of similarities, especially in the way Arsenal and Ajax want to play."
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