Arsenal: 3 players impacted by Ben White transfer

Arsenal want to sign Ben White. That’s not a sentence many expected they’d be reading during the summer transfer window, even if this time of the year is known to cough up some shocks and thrills along the way.

First it was Jules Kounde whose name rose to the front of the queue, with the outstanding young French centre-back listed as a big target for the Gunners despite the obvious flaws in their pursuit.

With Manchester United and Chelsea among the keen parties, the unavoidable lack of Champions League football was always going to put a stop to any hopes of Arsenal edging in front of the pack. Secondly, the huge £50m fee didn’t help.

That latter point was due to be a big drawback but, as it turns out, not so much. Without any European football, a cripplingly high wage bill and nothing but ownership IOU’s to live off, that kind of outlay seemed entirely implausible unless the Emirates Stadium was due for a Monopoly style mortgage.

Arsenal: 3 players impacted by Ben White transfer if Gunners sign Brighton centre-back for £50m in summer transfer window

However, with the strong interest in Brighton’s Ben White, who will cost Arsenal between £40-£50m, a deal classed as not ‘insurmountable’, the entire complexion of the window has changed. If indeed Arteta’s side have such financial power to spend on a position that, while important, is not the priority this window, surely they’ve got a few quid in the bank.

There has been no formal approach on said interest but it is due to arrive shortly, with White now the number one target for the the position as Mikel Arteta seeks to strengthen an area weakened by David Luiz’s departure (another sentence not expected to be said this summer).

On the surface, £40m spent on a very talented 23-year-old centre-back with Premier League experience and now an England international is reason to optimism. A player with an excellent profile, already impressive ability-wise and with room for further development is the kind of signings ambitious clubs make.

But Arsenal already have some centre-backs on the books. They’ve also previously bought them in 2014, 2015, 2016 (two), 2018 (two), 2019 (two) and 2020 (two). If White does arrive at the club as the hierarchy hope, who in the current crop gets affected?

1. William Saliba

The obvious one is William Saliba. Costing near £30m two seasons ago, for all the love and adoration he has from a fanbase who’ve yet to see him kick a competitive ball for them, this signing has to be deemed a disaster.

Such an immense amount of money on an 18-year-old, only to loan him back to the club he was signed for, then to spend half a season with the Under-23’s, hold a grudge against his new employers for not being able to play in a cup final and then to go out on loan for another six months is not how this deal was meant to have panned out.

It’s been a total mess and even if Arteta played no part in his original signing, someone somewhere must be asking him to try and make some use of a player the club spent so heavily on. As a coach he hasn’t been able to find a solution.

Now back in north London, White’s arrival seemingly ends his chances of earning more than just fleeting Premier League minutes. It’s a huge ask to start a 20-year-old in the English top-flight without any prior experience, and a decision Arteta will not take with just a few months to convince the club he’s the right man to lead them.

It isn’t all over, though. After all, Saliba excelled playing on the left side of a centre-back pairing and with that option, he can fill in for either position should he be needed. Sure to play cup minutes, there is scope for him to be part of both rotation and as a backup in case of injury in either position.

Sure, it’s not ideal for him, but at such a young age his own versatility can be put into effect, the like that also includes operating in a back three, which White can do just as well.

2. Rob Holding

Not only is the question whether White’s potential arrival pushed Holding down to second or third choice right centre-back, but indeed poses the possibility of him being at the club at all.

Signing a new long-term contract back in January, immediate reactions of Arsenal showing ‘no ambition’ or ‘settling for mediocrity’ were tempered by the idea that, just maybe, the club were protecting the value of their asset.

Holding may be tied down for longer but it opens the door for him to be sold at a profit.

How likely is that having had a very decent season and having been part of the third best defence in the division? Arteta certainly does have faith in him and a lot of the noises heading into the coming campaign are that the 25-year-old is due to be part of the new ‘leadership group’ at the club. Also being homegrown strengthens his case.

But if Holding isn’t sold – which seems to be the case unless there are new developments but isn’t out of the question – White will come in and immediately usurp him in the side.

Throughout his time at the club he’s never been seen as anything other than an excellent professional and committed figure. His standing at the club could well change with the arrival of White, as Holding may have seen Luiz’s departure as his chance to stake a claim as the starting option in that role. If that chance is gone and he’s third choice, that surely won’t suffice.

3. Pablo Mari

Pablo Mari may be more impacted by this than initially thought.

Working on the basis that White arrives, Arsenal will have Konstantinos Mavropanos, White, Holding, Saliba, Gabriel and Mari on the books. The former is due to be moved on, leaving five centre-backs to battle it out for two spots in a season without European football.

Given that Calum Chambers can slot into central defence, the need for what could six becomes non-existent.

While there is no indication of Mari being sold, yet, due to Saliba’s ability to play on the left side, White’s ability to play on the left side and Gabriel’s growing likelihood of being the regular starter, where the Spaniard may fit in grows less certain.

Turning out to be quite the find from the Brazilian league, Mari has established himself as a valuable member of the squad; he formed a solid partnership with Holding and added leadership qualities into the backline.

Remarkably the oldest of the group at 27 years old, looking at how the team may shape up, he may be looking at the profile of players Saliba and White are and be the one starting to worry. Brought in on a deal until 2024, while nobody knows the recruitment plan at Arsenal there could even be scope for Mari being a stop-gap addition ahead of more versatile options further down the line.