Arsenal: 4 reasons Benjamin White is underappreciated

2. Disciplinary Record

White’s full Premier League home debut for Arsenal came on matchweek four of the campaign, a 1-0 win over Norwich. 25 matches later and that is the only game of his Gunners career where he’s picked up a yellow card. It came in the 92nd minute.

Again, when looking at reliability in regards to availability, that also includes avoiding suspension.

He has been sent off in his career, coming when he received two yellow cards in the final 15 minutes of a 0-0 draw with Chelsea last season, but otherwise he’s not been sent for an early shower. Across 190 senior appearances he’s found himself in the book 21 times for an average of one yellow card every nine matches.

But it’s his record at Arsenal that matters. He’s committed 0.68 fouls p/90 in the Premier League and recorded 1.36 tackles p/90, and while stats should never been used as a barometer for the quality of a defender, it can show a degree of game intelligence: when to foul, how forcefully to foul, and general timing.

This season he’s seen Gabriel to his side be brandished four cards and a red, meanwhile Tierney hasn’t gone in the book once and Tomiyasu has two across all competitions. White is part of a group of defenders who are clean in the tackle and rarely place unnecessary pressure on the team with silly bookings.

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