Arsenal: 4 reasons Benjamin White is underappreciated

The success of the six signings that Arsenal made over the summer transfer window has been one of the triumphs of the season.

Getting all the players to blend together, absorb Mikel Arteta’s ideas and turn that into an ever improving unit is one of the manager’s and the coaching staff’s crowning glories, but sourcing the right acquisitions came first.

Benjamin White was one of the first names to appear on the wishlist. Watched by Arsenal for over a year, it was in early June 2021 when the club made advancements on their interest, with no fewer than six bids being lodged before Brighton eventually agreed to sell the defender for £50m.

Arteta had informed the hierarchy having been unable to convince Jules Kounde to join without the allure of Champions League football that White was his number one target. Arsenal were always confident they could strike a deal.

Arsenal: 4 reasons Benjamin White is underappreciated as defender continues outstanding debut season since £50m Premier League move

Together with Gabriel he’s formed a stellar central defensive partnership, helping contribute to 13 clean sheets in his 27 appearances for the club, during which time Arsenal have conceded 24 goals.

His form has been dazzling. Brought in with a particular role in mind, one that would tandem with Gabriel to his left, the aim was to push Arsenal’s defensive line further up the pitch, inject some pace into the defence and, in simplified terms, do what David Luiz could do on the ball, only better.

Second oldest in the whole back five behind only Kieran Tierney, despite the sea of eyebrows raised at the price paid, White, to his credit, looks every bit a £50m centre-back.

What he offers in possession is pivotal to how Arsenal play, and that lofty price tag is no longer considered anything other than money well spent. But what about the rest? Beyond his undoubted quality defensively and progressively, there are four reasons why the ‘Love Island Maldini’ remains underappreciated.

1. His Fitness Record & Reliability

Take a look at this link.

There’s nothing in it, right? That’s because White has not missed a single football match in his career due to injury. Not one. For a 24-year-old with 190 senior career appearances to his name, that is remarkable.

Taking a look back on his season with Leeds where they won the Championship by ten points, White played every minute of every game for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as they secured their long-awaited return to the top tier. That’s 4,140 minutes.

Last season for Brighton he missed but 224 minutes of the whole campaign, 90 of those the result of suspension, with another 90 of those coming at home to Arsenal when he didn’t come off the bench in a 1-0 defeat.

Since joining for Arsenal he’s followed in the same vein he has all throughout his career. No player at the club has played more minutes than his 2,378 in all competitions, with 1,980 of those coming in the Premier League. The only two league games he’s missed for the Gunners were when he contracted Covid. Other than that he’s played every single minute.

Him being available for selection has been taken for granted. But this is someone who takes incredible care of himself, works supremely hard in training, and puts a lot of effort into body conditioning.

Having someone with that level of reliability, both in terms of ability and availability, is a blessing.

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