Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have become the headliners at Arsenal.
Arsenal have been recognized as one of the sides with the best defence in the world, with the duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba taking all the hype, but Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori could be set to take the crown off them.
Mikel Arteta’s charge has begun another season with great intention, and the defence has again been one of their main strengths. The quartet of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori has all made vital contributions.
Seven games into the Premier League season, the Gunners are placed top of the pile, having already played away at Manchester United, Liverpool, and Newcastle United. At the same time, they’ve also played host to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
They have kept four clean sheets, just one behind Newcastle United, who boast the most so far. Arsenal, however, are superior in terms of goals conceded, with three compared to Newcastle’s five.
Only one of Arsenal’s three conceded goals has come from open play, with Erling Haaland the mischief maker, who scored on a fast break to give Manchester City the lead when they visited Arsenal in September.
So far, Arsenal have kept seven clean sheets in 10 games across all competitions with the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ben White also contributing defensively, while Piero Hincapie is yet to make his debut.
The defenders are also contributing to the attack. Gabriel, Calafiori, and Timber have all been on the scoresheet this season, while William Saliba, alongside the two fullbacks, has also added assists.
Nevertheless, the duo of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori is increasingly becoming the real deal in the Arsenal team as per defence, taking away the crown from their teammates.
Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori | Becoming the faces of Arsenal defence
So far in the 2025/26 Premier League season, Jurrien Timber is the highest-rated right-back, while teammate Riccardo Calafiori is the highest-rated left-back, according to the ratings of both SofaScore and FotMob.
Both Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have been immense for Arsenal, starting six and seven Premier League games respectively, with the former missing out of the starting XI on the opening weekend, when Ben White was selected and ultimately got subbed off injured.
Timber, who might not even be considered the starting right-back at the start of the season, given an intense competition with Ben White, has made himself inevitable, and is currently the best right-back in Europe’s top five leagues as per WhoScored.
His early years at Arsenal have been marred by injuries and he looks to be back at his best, and clearly no one has come close so far in the Premier League this season.
Riccardo Calafiori’s start to life at Arsenal also saw him struggle with injuries, and the club relied more on Myles Lewis-Skelly almost the entirety of last season, and Calafiori, even when available could not get into the team.
The reverse has been the case this season. The Italian has never looked back since starting and scoring the goal in the win over Manchester United in Old Trafford on the opening weekend. It’s been so far so good, and he couldn’t have asked for more.
Defensively, they’ve been almost unbeatable. As the Arsenal setup rarely concedes possession, they ensure to be ready when called upon, and it has worked well so far for the team, and the duo continue to flourish.
Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have each been directly involved in three Premier League goals, making them joint goal contributors so far alongside Declan Rice.
Timber specializes in chance creation and has so far created nine chances, two shy of the most by a defender, and Riccardo Calafiori, who specializes in taking shots, has attempted 14, the most of any defender so far.
With Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already having a top reputation, the thought of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori beating them could make the team become even better, and maybe that is just what Arsenal needs, to finally deliver the major titles.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
