Newly-signed Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber explained why he snubbed Manchester United’s offer and joined the Gunners this summer. The Dutch defender signed for the North London club for a reported fee of £34.2m.

However, Arsenal were not the only one pursuing Timber this summer, as Manchester United and Bayern Munich were both in the conversation. Red Devils wanted the former Ajax defender last summer as he was one of the biggest priorities for Erik ten Hag. However, Timber stayed, and United signed Lisandro Martinez instead. 

After completing his move to Arsenal, the 22-year-old has explained why he chose the Gunners despite having interest from multiple European clubs. According to the reports from Football London, Timber said, “To be honest, I had some options, but Arsenal was the only one I chose,”

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“It is a beautiful club. Look at last year. Of course, the previous years were beautiful, but last year you saw a major step. The team is growing, and I want to be a part of it.”

“Sometimes it is just a feeling. The way they play, the way I talk with the trainer. I just had a good feeling about it. We have a strong team. Expectations are high because they had a great season last season, and they bought some players. Let’s see what we can do.”

Timber enjoyed a fantastic 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals. He believes that the Qatar World Cup played a huge role in his confidence boost. “You can already see how you will play against the bigger teams and bigger opponents. I did well.”