Though reports suggest the deal is done, the medical is done, and the promotional content has already been prepared, Jurrien Timber’s move to Arsenal is still not official yet.
As of Wednesday morning, Timber was still reportedly waiting for the all-clear from Arsenal to link up with Mikel Arteta’s squad, raising strong doubts over the possibility of a debut against FC Nurnberg on Thursday.
But in the early afternoon, eagled-eyed Arsenal fans spotted that a picture of Timber had been uploaded to the Arsenal Direct website.
Jurrien Timber is now on Arsenal Direct. https://t.co/wgyvuYLUH3 @EduardoHagn @mariEscobarPAWG pic.twitter.com/2JB1Z1OkAz
— MC (@MaxTheLantern) July 12, 2023
The website contains banner pictures of all the players, for fans shopping for new shirts.
Although Timber hasn’t been added to the player selection screen yet, it seems his banner was uploaded to the site early in preparation.
Arsenal quickly removed the image from the site after the file was found, but not before supporters had downloaded and shared it across social media.
Timber has already seemingly said his goodbyes back in the Netherlands, with his family holding him a farewell party last week. But Arsenal never announce these deals before all the details are completely sorted.
Timber has signed a deal with Arsenal lasting until 2028, joining for a fee of €40m (£34.3m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in bonuses described as “largely realistic”.
The 22-year-old made 47 appearances for Ajax in the 2022/23 campaign, and he’s also a Dutch international, playing 15 times for the national team.
