Quinten Timber: The Dutch Midfielder Who’s Escaping His Brother’s Shadow

At 23 years of age, Quinten Timber has emerged as one of the finest footballers in the Eredivisie, and with a contract until 2026, he looks set to follow in the footsteps of Orkun Kökçü, Luis Sinisterra, Tyrell Malacia, Marcos Senesi and Fredrik Aursnes and become the latest Feyenoord player to secure a big-money move. Let’s take a deep look at what makes Timber such an impactful player for Feyenoord.

The twin brother of Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber, Timber developed at the academies of DVSU and Feyenoord before heading to Ajax in 2014 alongside his brother. He wouldn’t take long to make a name for himself for his club and country, winning the 2018 U-17 Euros alongside the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Brian Brobbey and Crysencio Summerville. However, unlike Jurriën, Quinten was never quite able to make the jump to Ajax’s first team.

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Instead, he returned to his hometown in 2021 and joined FC Utrecht, where he would quickly establish himself as a vital cog in their seventh-placed finish. After just a year with the Domstedelingen, Timber headed back to Feyenoord for a club-record fee of €8.5 million. Despite missing two months of the campaign due to a knee injury, Timber racked up 31 appearances in all competitions as Feyenoord won their first Eredivisie title in six years, ending Ajax’s domestic dominance.

He would build on that momentum in 2023/24, forming a dynamic pairing with Mats Wieffer in midfield and emerging as one of the first names on Arne Slot’s team sheet as Feyenoord finished second in the title race to PSV Eindhoven whilst also beating NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in the KNVB Cup Final. With 7 goals and 9 assists, only Santiago Giménez and Calvin Stengs grabbed more goal contributions in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord in 2023/24.

An area he excels in more than most is how quickly he recognizes a possible passing lane and how fast the ball is released from his foot. He can take just one second or less to launch the ball to a teammate and he does not waste his touches. He is a footballer who is extremely agile to think and make decisions quickly, ranking in the 99th percentile for through balls. 

Timber can also perform progressive ball carries of a few seconds, due to the physical power that he has to cover ground which almost always ends with a pass. However, the aggression in them and the intelligence to move his team if he sees spaces is quite noticeable. His ball-carrying ability does create a lot of threat for his team, as he moves the ball from even the halfway line to the final third. He ranks in the 85th percentile for carries into the final third and the 93rd percentile for carries into the penalty area.

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He also has a good defensive work ethic as he attempts and usually completes tackles whenever the opponents regain the ball. He ranks in the 99th percentile for tackles in the attacking third and ranks in the 97th percentile for shot creating actions. A great asset as a starter or off the bench when you need a goal. 

Timber is also able to retain, shield and save the ball in moments under pressure, where can use a variety of skills like body feints, silky touches, spins and dribbles to escape the tight space. He has exceptional technique that he demonstrates with a lot of quality in his performances, but also physically he has a very strong body that players find difficult to break. It is the best combination for a player who knows how to escape from these situations.

However, it is important to note that his strengths primarily lie in the final third and he is not the type of midfielder who takes all the touches to control the play. He also often mistimes his tackles in other areas of the pitch so he has to improve this and the reading of the game to cut passes or press at the moment that he has to, as well give away less fouls or lose control with the ball. 

What Quinten offers as a progressive footballer with the ball is brilliant in many of his decisions and provides effectiveness plus danger-creation to his team, in addition to his best facet, which is how easy it is for him to evade the press. With improvement, very soon, just like his brother, he will be able to upgrade his game and find himself in a better team and league. 

By: @princerequiem49

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Soccrates Images / Getty Images