Arsenal: Ben White transfer development enters dangerous territory

Arsenal are hell-bent on signing Ben White this summer and will seemingly pull out all the stops to do so. They’ve made their interest known, presented a bid and will come back for more. Mikel Arteta wants the centre-back.

In seeking to improve his squad, Arteta and Edu submitted their transfer plans to the Arsenal board before last season concluded. At that point it was anyone’s guess which names featured. In terms of requirements, however, it was clear.

Martin Odegaard or another playmaker/No. 10 in his stead, was high up on the list; so too both full-back positions and about 300 central midfielders depending on how the window played out, along with centre-back.

Setting their sights high with Champions League chasing Jules Kounde, Arsenal have finished up closer to home as a move for Ben White continues to gather momentum. Submitting a £40m offer to Brighton as they set their stall out early, the bid was knocked back as the Seagulls held out for more.

Arsenal’s Ben White transfer development enters dangerous territory with summer window asking price beyond Brighton defender’s value

The amount of money raised eyebrows as with the James Maddison chase and other pursuits elsewhere, it’s become clear Arsenal have more money than initially estimated. A do-as-you-like loan from Barclays has helped in that regard.

Ensuring the finances are spent wisely is important though, as £40m on White will only become acceptable if the rest of the squad – like the huge problem in midfield – is seen to.

As reported by football.london, the Gunners’ second offer is due to flirt around the £45m mark as Arteta pushes through on a deal he’s desperate to secure.

What’s worrying is what Brighton may be holding out for. As per The Athletic’s Brighton correspondent Andy Naylor, Graham Potter’s side are after ‘more than £50m’ to sanction his departure with other major Premier League sides hovering around the situation. With other interest White’s fee will only climb, which is precisely what the Seagulls want.

But beyond simply spending too much money and not allocating resources wisely elsewhere, White just isn’t worth upwards of £50m. An excellent defender without doubt, but seeing the likes of Kounde fetching similar fees while an overall stronger centre-back highlights the ‘English’ and ‘Premier League’ tax.

The scouting department at Arsenal (whoever is left) are more equipped and experienced to study player trajectories and development potential, thus they need to be adamant in what is to come from White before they offer their own support for such an outlay.

Arsenal should always avoid over-paying but they must also see fit to avoid delving into over-valuing. There is a necessity to get this deal done quickly, as with all transfers this season, yet it will require some experience and nous to sit back and decide this has gone too far, much like it did with Emi Buendia.

If Brighton start quoting £50m+ then ignore how much money is there to be blown overall, since they risk wandering into the dangerous territory of succumbing to ill-advised desires.