Where Jurrien Timber ranks among Arsenal record signings

Jurrien Timber had always planned to move out of his family home this summer.

After 22 years of sharing a room with his twin brother Quinten, a midfielder for Eredivisie champions Feyenoord no less, the time had come. That desire turned into a necessity once the Ajax half of the bedroom sealed a £40m move to Arsenal after weeks of speculation.

Timber is not the only addition Arsenal have made in a lavish summer spend. Here's how his transfer fee compares to the rest of the club's fresh recruits and where he ranks among Arsenal's all-time acquisitions.

Jurrien Timber to Arsenal details

Timber was the subject of intense interest from Manchester United last year as Erik ten Hag raided his former employers. Ultimately, the versatile defender signed a contract extension with Ajax last August but United reignited their pursuit this summer.

After three full seasons in Ajax's first team, Timber let it be known that he was open to a move away from Amsterdam this year. Scouts from Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle United, West Ham, Brentford, Brighton, Wolves and Leeds United were all present at the Dutch Cup final between Timber's Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. Not every representative was there for Timber but Liverpool and Arsenal emerged as United's strongest rivals for the 22-year-old.

While both of the northern giants prioritised midfield acquisitions, Arsenal were the first to offer an opening bid of €35m. Ajax rebuffed the proposal, setting an asking price of €60m which was soon lowered to €50m.

Arsenal agreed to an initial fee of €42m with €5m in add-ons at the end of June. Personal terms and all of the legal wrinkles were ironed out over the subsequent two weeks before Timber's unveiling on 14 July.

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Arsenal's most expensive signings ever

The day after Timber swapped Ajax's red and white for the same colour scheme in north London, West Ham took it upon themselves to declare that Declan Rice had been sold for a British record £105m. The statement did not reveal where Rice was going but it has been an open secret for weeks that Arsenal had an agreement in place with the England international.

Kai Havertz was the club's first official arrival of the summer, joining for £65m from Premier League rivals Chelsea in June.

Timber's £40m valuation would make him Arsenal's tenth most expensive signing of all time. Mesut Ozil broke the club's transfer record with a £42.5m move in 2013. Real Madrid, strapped for cash after bringing Gareth Bale to La Liga that summer, had promised Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy that they wouldn't sell any players to Arsenal to fund the move for the Welshman but reneged on a dramatic transfer deadline day as Ozil headed to north London.

There was less subterfuge surrounding Granit Xhaka's £35m move from Borussia Monchengladbach three years later - although, his time at the Emirates, which came to an end this summer, was not without its controversies.

Timber is the second-most expensive defender that Arsenal have ever acquired. The leader of that particular list, Ben White, knows all about the pressures that a large fee can bring.

In Amazon's All or Nothing documentary filmed during his debut season with the Gunners after moving from Brighton, White revealed: "I've got some little kids absolutely giving me stacks, they were mugging me right off. They were like: '£50m? You're s**t.'"

Perhaps Timber would be wise to avoid the opinions of London's sharp-tongued children if he experiences the same adaptation problems.

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On this edition of The Chronicles of a Gooner, part of the 90min podcast network, Harry Symeou reacts to the delay over Declan Rice's move from West Ham to Arsenal.

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