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Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday with Dutchman Jurrien Timber hoping some of his fitness work over the summer will pay off – despite the Gunners pulling the plug on some of his holiday plans
Jurrien Timber turned his summer holiday into a world tour – until Arsenal told him to stay at home. The Dutch full-back’s whistle-stop travel odyssey took him to Turkey, Curacao, Miami, Marbella and the Asian hinterlands and he grinned: “I have seen the whole world in two months.”
But the Gunners, who sent a fitness trainer with Timber on some of his overseas trips, stepped in and asked him to stop getting his passport stamped. On Sunday he joins Arsenal’s latest crusade to go one better than runners-up in the last three seasons in an opening-day headline clash against Manchester United with his ankle problem healed and £200million of new team-mates to boost their charge.
Timber explained: “I had surgery at the end of last season, an ankle operation to take something out that was bothering me for a long time towards the of the season, but I feel good now. I could not sit still during the summer to get fit, so I went to a lot of nice places. At the same time I was doing rehab. I have been to Turkey and Curacao, where my mum is from. I went with the family which was nice.
“I went to Miami for a couple of days and also Marbella. It was good – and I went to Asia, of course. I have seen the whole world in two months. Someone was with me from the club and I had more places to go, but the club said, ‘That is too much!’
“At the beginning I was on crutches so I could not do much, but when I was off crutches I had someone with me.”
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Timber’s mobility and versatility made him a vital component of the Premier League ’s meanest defence last season – just 34 goals shipped in 38 games, seven fewer than champions Liverpool.
The Gunners will need to be miserly again over the next nine months and Timber admitted: “I did not realise that had the best record. We know we were defending well and doing well as a unit but we were focusing on ourselves. We have a lot of good defenders and we defend with the whole team. The amount of defenders we have at the back, the competition is amazing and it makes each other better.”
Arsenal’s first six league games include dates with United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle – and there is a perception that their title challenge will be defined before the end of September.
Timber said: “It is a tough beginning, isn’t it? But I think last season we also had a tough start last season and it can go both ways. If you start well, it can be amazing. That is the challenge. But I think we also need to have that approach of it being another game we need to win. That is the best way to approach it.
“Arsenal have shown the last couple of years already that we will always be fighting for the title. And every year they are trying to strengthen the squad, this summer as well. We have an amazing group and a group to do amazing things. You can tell we are close, it is just that last step.
“There is nothing more you can do than just go for it and fight for it all the way. We have the manager for it, we have the team for it, we have the club for it. That is the reason why everyone is so excited to start again. Give it all because we know we have the chance.
“I think everyone’s expecting a lot from them this season. Chelsea are looking amazing and there are so many good teams, it is going to be tough for sure.
“That’s why it is so important to focus on ourselves and believe in what we can do. We can’t look at too many teams and what is happening around the league. I don’t think that would be good for us or for anyone.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
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