Quinten Timber immediately left a good first impression at Olympique Marseille on Saturday evening. The Dutch international, who came over from Feyenoord this week for 4.5 million euros, was immediately allowed to make his debut in the starting line-up during the French cracker against RC Lens, the number two in the Ligue 1. After just one half, the fans in the Stade Vélodrome were convinced: Marseille has a strong player.
Trainer Roberto De Zerbi gave Timber a starting place without hesitation and was not disappointed. The midfielder played a very strong first half, was constantly available, won his duels and radiated leadership. There were many positive reactions on social media from supporters, who were visibly impressed by his presence and intensity.
Not only Timber made an appearance in the starting line-up. Former Feyenoord player Igor Paixão also started the kick-off for Marseille, as did newcomer Ethan Nwaneri. The talented Englishman, who came over from Arsenal, even enhanced his basic debut with a goal. Yet a lot of attention was paid to Timber, who effortlessly held his own in the physical and tactical violence of the Ligue 1 top match.
The reactions to X were unmissable. Supporters said Nwaneri and Timber played ‘great’ and ‘like they had been here for years’. Timber in particular received a lot of praise for his versatility. For example, he was described as a player who ‘has the ball close to his feet and a fine technique, but is a real buffalo in duels’. Other fans said ‘what a match from Timber, impressive!’ and kept it simple with responses such as ‘Timber, just WOW’, ‘a bargain’ and ‘what a fighter, fully committed to the duels’. His leadership also stood out to the audience: ‘Timber, you can see from him that he has always been a captain in his previous teams.’
From voltage van Marseille: Rulli; Balerdi, Aguerd, Medina; Weah, and F. Timber, Paixao; Nwall, Main, Governing
