Gabriel and Ben White – Arsenal’s perfect defensive pairing

Since the glory days of Martin Keown and Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure, Arsenal has not had a brilliant centre-back pairing. Well with the arrival of English defender Ben White from Brighton to compliment Gabriel, that could be about to change. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny weren’t too shabby either.

It is no secret that the Gunners have struggled mightily defensively, and the heart of the defense is where most of the problems are. Often criticized for having a soft underbelly and being easily bullied off the ball, Arsenal’s defensive issues have been front and centre.

Last season, Mikel Arteta went some ways to address that in signing 22-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes for £27m. The hulking defender hit the ground running in north London, winning Arsenal’s Player of the Month twice before the Premier League campaign hit halfway.

His tackling, distribution, and proactive approach made him arguably one of Arteta’s best players. As we often see with new players coming to a foreign league, Gabriel had his ups and downs while adjusting to life in England, however, it is clear to the entire Gunners fanbase that he is a certain starter every time he is fit.

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Gabriel and Ben White can be Arsenal’s perfect defensive pairing after Mikel Arteta signs former Brighton defender on £50m transfer

David Luiz and Rob Holding took turns partnering Gabriel (with Pablo Mari earning minutes too) and even for a period halfway through the season, were the preferred option for reasons we do not fully know. Every supporter saw that Gabriel and Luiz worked well as a combination, when the duo were fit.

With Luiz now out the door and many still unsure exactly how they feel about Holding, Gabriel is more than likely going to have his best partner since arriving at the Emirates. That is new signing Ben White.

The 23-year-old produced a fine season for Brighton last year, featuring in 36 Premier League games with his form warranting a selection in the England squad for Euro 2020. White has many great attributes that make him the ideal partner for Gabriel. For starters, and get this, White is right-footed and with Gabriel being left-footed! Arteta has his perfect combination.

More importantly, White has some serious pace for a central defender too. He often uses it to his advantage, meaning in transition, it gives Arsenal that extra comfort knowing they will not be caught on the break, allowing Arteta to adopt a higher line.

His positional awareness is second to none as last season, very much someone in the right place at the right time to pick off stray passes or break up play, helping his side regain possession. Unlike most central defenders, White is superb with his feet and was one of the most reliable ball-playing defenders in the division last year. His progressive qualities are clear.

It is not enough that he is confident with the ball at his feet, but White loves to move the ball forward and in particularly diagonal passes similar to Luiz last term, something that will delight Arsenal’s attacking weapons. The lack of switches in play, or at least not with pace, made Arsenal far too easy to defend against.

White can dribble out of defense if needed, bringing confidence to those around him, much like Gabriel who contributes with ball carrying progression. White is almost like a midfielder who can defend exceptionally well. Funnily enough, he’s played there.

The other superb trait of White’s is his versatility. It is worth noting that he spent most of the season as a right sided centre-back in a back three but also featured as a right-back, right wing-back and defensive midfielder under Graham Potter, something that Arteta will no doubt experiment with at some stage. His desire for fluid systems has more scope to develop.

As with any player, there is going to be a weakness and for White, that is his aerial ability, something that his new partner Gabriel is stronger at. With a White and Gabriel pairing, Arsenal’s central defenders have a neat blend of pace, ball-playing ability, and defensive intelligence, making them a seriously good tandem. Having a pair that can complement each other, but also help mask each other’s weaknesses is something that can hold Arsenal in good stead going forward.

Both are 23 years old so we can look forward to this potentially being Arsenal’s defensive partnership for the next half decade an beyond. The pair are archetypal ‘modern’ defenders, boast pace, and are great with the ball at their feet, all the ingredients to make a great Premier League defense. They will need plenty of time to mould as a pair, of course, but all the signs are positive.

The other thing worth noting is that White played is completely accustomed to the division, eliminating the time to adapt to any of the quintessential English football quirks.

After years of mediocrity defensively, Arteta has moved in the last two years to fix that. With Gabriel, White and Kieran Tierney, all that is missing is a right-back, Calum Chambers seems dependable until one is found.

While White will not get the same fanfare as other signings, this is a superb piece of transfer business. Hefty fee or otherwise.