Jurrien Timber says Arsenal star is stronger than Gabriel Magalhaes but he hasn't even played this season
One of the biggest changes Mikel Arteta brought to this Arsenal side was the physicality.
After years of dominance, Arsene Wenger moved away from physically strong players to more technical stars who were good on the ball. That made his football great to watch, but there were many games where Arsenal were outmuscled.
Arteta was a part of that team for a few of those years, and he must have realised that winning the Premier League is impossible without forming a team full of physically dominant players.
Arsenal have a number of strong players in their squad, but who is the strongest? Jurrien Timber has had his say.
Jurrien Timber says William Saliba is the strongest player at Arsenal
Arsenal’s squad, in terms of physical size, is massive.
The likes of Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Magalhaes and Viktor Gyokeres, among others, are all capable of dominating the opposition with their physicality.
If we had to guess who the strongest player at Arsenal is, we would probably go with Gabriel because of his aggressive nature and how strong he is in duels.
However, Timber, who is a strong man himself, believes it is William Saliba.
🗣️ “Worst fashion? It’s hard to say!” 😅
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 26, 2026
Arsenal star Jurriën Timber answers questions about his all-time teammates 🔴🇳🇱@PFA pic.twitter.com/kZo68Z3XMi
While attending the PFA Awards on Tuesday, the Dutchman spoke to SPORTbible, who asked him a few questions about his teammates.
One of those questions was about the strongest player he has ever played with. He replied: “I’ll say, Saliba.”
That is not a massive surprise when you think about it, but Saliba is definitely the first name that comes to mind when we’re thinking of Arsenal’s strongest player.
READ MORE: Arsenal fans are absolutely furious after hearing new detail about William Saliba’s injury
William Saliba is still recovering from his injury
Saliba has been carrying a back injury for several months now, and during the World Cup, he couldn’t continue anymore and went to ground.
There were fears at the time that the Arsenal centre-back would need surgery and could face months on the sidelines, but thankfully, that isn’t necessary.
However, Saliba still requires a lot of rest and is sidelined for a period of at least three months. That is why he hasn’t played a single game yet this season.
Cristhian Mosquera has done well in his place, while Ezri Konsa has also arrived and is more than capable of filling his shoes.
That should keep Arsenal solid until Saliba returns, but the Gunners need him back to have the best chance of winning every trophy available.
