Jurrien Timber has reached a significant Arsenal milestone, putting the defender alongside a small group of Dutch players who have left their mark on the club.
Jurrien Timber has joined a select group of Dutch players in Arsenal history after making his 100th appearance for the club in Sunday’s 1-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest.
Timber came off the bench at the City Ground to become only the fourth Dutchman to reach a century of appearances for Arsenal, following Dennis Bergkamp, Robin van Persie and Marc Overmars.
It is distinguished company. Arsenal’s official figures put Bergkamp on 423 appearances, van Persie on 278 and Overmars on 142, with Timber now on 100.
He is the 244th player of any nationality to make a century of appearances for the club.
The milestone is particularly notable given how little football Timber was able to play during his first season in north London.
The defender joined Arsenal from Ajax in the summer of 2023 and made his competitive debut in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City.
An ACL injury suffered in the opening Premier League match against Forest then effectively wiped out the rest of his campaign, although he returned for the final-day game against Everton.
Bergkamp remains in a category of his own. His 423 appearances make him the defining Dutch figure in the club’s history, and was recognised with a statue outside Emirates Stadium in February 2014.
Van Persie played considerably fewer games but finished as Arsenal’s highest-scoring Dutch player, with 132 goals from 278 appearances. He joined from Feyenoord in 2004 and developed from a gifted young forward into the focal point of Arsenal’s attack.
His eventual departure for Manchester United, after trying to turn supporters against the club, permanently damaged his reputation among Arsenal fans. He subsequently helped United beat Arsenal to the Premier League title.
Overmars, meanwhile, made 142 Arsenal appearances before leaving for Barcelona.
Gerrit Keizer became the first player from the Netherlands to represent the club after signing from Margate FC in 1930. The goalkeeper made 13 appearances before later joining Charlton Athletic.
More than 60 years passed before another Dutch player appeared for Arsenal.
Glenn Helder eventually made 49 appearances before being sold to NAC Breda for €175,000 in 1997 following a loan spell with Benfica.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst later made 64 appearances, while Nacer Barazite played three times.
Eight Dutchmen have represented Arsenal in total, but only four have reached three figures.
Timber is now one of them.
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