Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has made the remarkable claim that current Gunners star Jurrien Timber has been the perfect player on this planet this season.
Arsenal have had a incredible season, winning the Premier League for the primary time in 22 12 months and narrowly missing out on their first ever Champions League triumph.
Timber has actually been hailed for his performances, but even within the Arsenal side it has been Declan Rice and David Raya who’ve been touted for indivudual awards ahead of the Dutchman.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes won the Premier League Player of the Season, while Barcelona’s Raphinha won the identical award in La Liga.
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Inter’s Federico Dimarco won Serie A MVP, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise won Bundesliga Player of the Season and PSG’s Ousmane Dembele got the nod in Ligue 1.
Nonetheless, Sagna reckons Timber has done greater than any of those stars, outperforming everyone on the planet this season.
For me, Timber is the Player of the Season for Arsenal,’ Sagna told Vegas Insider. ‘He has been very solid. Going forward one on one has been good and he might be probably the most consistent player within the team. He at all times delivers and he’s just super consistent.
‘If I even have to offer an award to the perfect player of the season in the entire world, I’d give it to Timber.’
Sagna, who played 284 times for Arsenal from 2007-14 but didn’t win the Premier League, did even have high praise for Rice, saying he’s in the highest three in his position on this planet.
‘To define a player as the perfect player is hard, because there’s lots of competition on the market. Everyone has different characteristics. But surely, Rice is in the highest three in his position,’ said the 65-cap France international.
‘His physical presence is incredible. He’s perhaps not that sort of player who’s shining on a regular basis, but he’s at all times in the proper spot at the proper time. He’s stopping the counter attacks and is reading the sport perfectly.
‘I saw some people talking about him only playing sideways and backway but I believe he isn’t about stats. He’s about reading the sport and he reads the situations perfectly. He’s putting himself in situations that other players don’t do and he’s at all times fighting and running.
‘I believe his understanding of the sport is amongst the perfect in his position.’
Sagna can have been getting carried away at several points here, including claiming that Arsenal don’t must strengthen in any areas, including left wing where they’ve bene strongly linked with making a signing.
‘I’m pleased with [Leandro] Trossard and [Gabriel] Martinelli. Let’s not forget Martinelli is 24. He’s still very young and he’ll still improve and having Trossard in front of him will bring competition.
‘Trossard as well, he’s been scoring vital goals. I believe he’s been really good and having a serious impact. I don’t see the necessity for anyone else.
‘Truthfully, the way in which I see the team now, they don’t must add any players.’
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