Ben White's Everton link says something about Arsenal's plans

Keeping the core group together has been a feature of the Mikel Arteta project since it truly took off in 2021; Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are among those who have stuck around for the long haul.

Yet there remained a sense that, someday, one or more of those foundational pieces would have to leave as the process evolved.

It seems that time is now.

According to the HandofArsenal page on X, Everton have shown a keen interest in purchasing Ben White this summer, with several other clubs also said to have made enquiries into the 28-year-old’s availability.

Talk of a Ben White exit indicates Arsenal have changed plans since the early Mikel Arteta era

His exit would mark the first real ‘casualty’ of a change in plans at Arsenal as the club moves on from its top-four ambitions (when White first signed) to try become one that can win the biggest prizes in world football.

Bought just after Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares, White came in as the first name of a long-term Arsenal vision to reclaim a UCL spot. He made a huge impact from the off – forming a top-class CB partnership with Gabriel – and would go on to link up wonderfully with Saka down the right flank from RB as the Gunners climbed the PL table.

But the process has come a long way since then; there is less room for sentiment or passengers in a team that aims for the title. It means those original stars face competition from the talent signed for squad depth and anyone who falls to the margins finds themselves in danger of being among the first to depart.    

To begin, injuries pushed Ben White into that ‘fringe’ territory, while his uncertain contract situation (two years left after this campaign) render it likely that Arsenal will see this as a good time to cash in on him amid PL interest.

Of course, a sale is not quite inevitable and, if he could stay fit, then he certainly has a skillset which Arteta might like to keep around. But injury-prone players often do not shake off that tag (especially where Arsenal are concerned) so the club would be best advised to move him on when there is still value tied up in him.

The Gunners are more ruthless and ambitious than when White joined back in 2021 and that could prove his undoing.