“People don’t mention him anymore” - Micah Richards says 24-year-old Arsenal star has made everyone forget about his teammate due to brilliant form

Micah Richards has said that Jurrien Timber’s ‘exceptional’ performance at Arsenal has made fans forget Ben White. Timber was in action for the Gunners during their dominant 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby on Sunday, 23 November, and marked his appearance with an assist.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards expressed admiration for Arsenal’s defensive unit and claimed that White has been pushed out of the spotlight due to Timber’s consistency. The former Manchester City defender said:

“The fact they brought in [Piero] Hincapie as well at centre-half and the question before the game was whether or not Arsenal can score a goal only from a set-piece and would they miss Gabriel. They didn’t miss Gabriel, they didn’t miss him one bit. So they’ve now got four top centre-backs, with [Cristhian] Mosquera coming on as well and then with [William] Saliba and Gabriel.

“Then you’ve got the full-backs as well. People don’t mention Ben White anymore because Timber is so exceptional. You’ve got [Myles] Lewis-Skelly as well. It’s ridiculous with [Riccardo] Calafiori! The squad that Arsenal have assembled is too strong and if they can build with that confidence and get that momentum because there are going to be swings and roundabouts. Manchester City are going to win a couple and Arsenal will lose a couple, but if they can just stay on the right track then they’re well on their way.”

Timber, who joined Arsenal in 2023, has been vital in Arsenal’s current amazing form, having featured in every Premier League game for the club in the current campaign. White, on the other hand, has only featured in six matches for the Gunners this season, with just one appearance coming in the Premier League.

“Everything he touched today really was perfect” – Micah Richards on Arsenal star Eberechi Eze after scoring a hat-trick in 4-1 win against Spurs

In the same episode of The Rest is Football podcast, Richards spoke glowingly of Eberechi Eze after he scored his first hat-trick in senior football in Sunday’s North London Derby. Eze, who joined the Gunners in the summer, has cemented himself as one of the first names on manager Mikel Arteta’s teamsheet.

Speaking about Eze’s performance, Richards said:

“I think he was very intelligent, wasn’t he? Because we know he’s got good feet. No, he could play a through ball and all that sort of thing, but it was the spaces he was finding. Do you remember when he was at Palace and I think we was doing a couple of match of a days where he was in there and he was playing well. But he could have scored two and three in those games that we was doing at the time.

He added:

"Everything he touched today really was perfect. Even at the end, he’s doing flicks and tricks and all that sort of thing but he feels at home especially with the likes of [Martin] Odegaard out. he needed one of those big performances. Everyone knows he’s a good player but that was a statement performance to say ‘I have now arrived’ and I think that was the difference in his performance today.”

The three goals saw Eze join an exclusive club of Gunners heroes who have scored a hat-trick in a competitive derby between the two clubs, after Ted Drake and Alan Sunderland.