Arsenal defender Ben White has been at the club for more than three years after he signed from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2021.
White signed for £50m from Brighton as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his defensive options in the process of building a team capable of winning the Premier League title.
The defender’s hefty price tag meant he came to the Emirates with high expectations among Arsenal fans and for the most part he has delivered.
White made his debut for the Gunners in August 2021 in the first match of the 2021/22 season. However, it wasn’t the best start for the defender as his team lost 2-0 to Premier League newcomers Brentford.
Since then, the 27-year-old has made 140 appearances for the Gunners, more than any other team he has ever played for. White has also scored six goals for Arsenal and provided 10 assists.
Primarily a right back, he can also play at center and left back if required making him a valuable asset for Mikel Arteta due to his versatility.
Ben White has played in England’s top four leagues
The 27-year-old started his youth career with Southampton, but was released at the age of 16 and snapped up by Brighton amid interest from Bristol City and Leicester City.
White remained at Brighton until he joined Arsenal, but he completed several loans during his time on the South Coast. In his first season as a professional, he made only five appearances, both in the cup.
Therefore, in order to get more playing time, White was loaned to League Two club Newport County for the 2017/18 season where he scored his first career goal just four months into the season.
He ultimately made 42 league appearances for Newport, scoring one goal and recording five assists during the year.
White’s second loan spell came in the second half of the 2018/19 season when he moved to Peterborough in the January transfer window. He only played 15 games in League One but he scored goals for Posh.
His Championship appearance came for Leeds United in his third loan spell away from the Amex Stadium in the 2019/20 season. He helped Leeds win the title in the second division and gain promotion to the Premier League by making 46 Championship appearances, scoring one goal and providing two assists.
After his breakthrough season at Leeds, White finally got his chance with the Seagulls and played 36 Premier League games in the 2020/21 season, becoming a crucial part of Brighton’s first team. He also won the Player of the Season award and his performance guaranteed an England call-up from Gareth Southgate.
After just one season playing in the Premier League’s first team, Mikel Arteta had seen everything he needed when he decided to splash £50 million on White’s signature and immediately move to Arsenal.
White asked not to be called up to the England squad
A rather strange decision, in 2022, Ben White asked the England National Team that he not be selected for ‘personal reasons’.
He left the England camp during the World Cup in Qatar and has not been selected for England since. As reported by BBC Sport, new interim manager Lee Carsley said that he had asked not to be contacted regarding his call-up to the national team.
Carsley said: “As far as I know he asked not to be contacted. If it changes, it will change.
“I think it’s important for us to have real competition all over the field, and the more players we can choose from, the better.”
Three things you didn’t know about Arsenal defender Ben White
Ben White is very close to his father even today although he admitted during an interview for Arsenal’s Official Site that his father was not interested in football. White was always expected to continue working and work for his father as a gardener if he never made it in football.
Something unexpected for the 27-year-old was that he was in the right place at the right time during Arsenal’s 6-0 win over Sheffield United last season as he scored the club’s 10,000th goal in its history.
Lastly, Ben White has recorded another impressive statistic at Arsenal as he is the player with the 3rd most wins from his first 100 games for the club (66 wins). Only Sol Campbell and Lauren won more games in their first 100 appearances (68).
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