When Arsenal placed the bid of £50m for former Brighton defender Ben White, a great many fans thought that the move was a desperate attempt by the club to solve an age-old issue in their leaky defence. The jury consisting of Arsenal fans and the impartial observer weren’t exactly impressed with what they saw on his debut for the Gunners and questions were raised regarding Arteta’s reluctance to include William Saliba instead.
Since then, White who’s gone from Ben to Benjamin has started to show exactly why Edu and Arteta were willing to pay such a massive sum on the youngster. Yes, he’s a solid central defender that reads the game well and makes the backline look more resilient to the opposition’s counters, but there is an aspect of his game that is becoming more apparent with every game in which he features.
White can play out well from the back and is blessed with an excellent ability to pass over distance, coupled with the vision of a creative midfielder. He is only too willing to join the advance and isn’t the type of defender to hoof the ball up in the hope of finding a teammate, no, he’s more of a presser, someone who has the confidence in his considerable skills to create or be an integral part of the build-up play.
White’s new partnership with Gabriel in a revamped Arsenal defence shows genuine promise and even the most sceptical fan must be suffering a twinge of excitement with the additions of Ramsdale, Tomiyasu and Tavares, not to mention the flying Scot Kieran Tierney.
In Ben White, Arsenal have a very assured, consistent performer who has great technical ability in both attack and defence. Someone who could eventually lead the backline by way of example and that could form one half of a highly efficient central defensive pairing.
As this defence develops, it’s starting to show signs of a togetherness that hasn’t been seen since Wenger arrived in 1996. There’s evidence of a growing camaraderie in which the communication and appreciation of the individuals within it are obvious.
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Ben White is key to this group and although he isn’t the most vocal compared to Ramsdale and Gabriel, his calmness and self-belief are key. Who knows how the Gunners would have fared in their opening three games had they had the personnel they have now.
It’s early days still, the journey to improvement and perfection isn’t without obstacles and disappointments, but at least fans can see the big picture and there’s a growing appreciation of the work undertaken by the management in the summer transfer window. As for White, within a season or two, £50m may well be seen as a bargain.
