Arsenal have finally announced the signing of Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Mikel Arteta and Edu are delighted.
The 23-year-old Englishman has been linked with a move to the Emirates for over a month now. He was undoubtedly Arsenal’s top target this summer, and it’s great to see Arteta and Edu get this deal over the line.
White’s quality has never been questioned by anyone since the rumours emerged. However, his hefty £50 million price tag raised a few eyebrows, but Edu and Arteta’s comments hint why Arsenal were never deterred by Brighton’s demands.
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Mikel Arteta and Edu: Why Ben White was our top target
Edu told Arsenal.com: “Ben has been a key target this summer. He has so many qualities which make us so excited he’s joining us. Ben’s a young English player with a great future. He’s very strong defensively, good on the ball with a great passing range. We’re delighted Ben’s signed and we look forward to him growing with us.”
Arteta added: “Ben was a top target for us and it’s great that we’ve completed his signing. Ben has been educated with two very good clubs, Brighton and Leeds, in recent seasons. He has benefitted well from two very good coaching set-ups and has shown with both Brighton and on loan with Leeds what a strong talent he is.
“Ben is an intelligent defender who is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and his style fits perfectly with us. And of course, he is still young, so his age and profile fits with what we are building here. We are all looking forward to Ben being central to our future long-term plans.”
The Insider’s View:
Arteta and Edu’s comments make it perfectly clear that White’s brilliance and composure on the ball is the real reason why he was our top target. That is why we were prepared to go above and beyond to get him, and it really is a great deal.
The Arsenal new boy is Premier League proven, fantastic under pressure and is still only 23. £50 million certainly seems like a lot of money now, but White can easily be a mainstay in our defence for the better part of the next decade, and that makes him worth every penny.
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Arsenal take on Chelsea and Tottenham in the Mind Series charity games before the start of the new Premier League season, and we’ll likely see White make his debut for us then. All eyes will be on him, but if he puts in a good shit, his price tag will no longer be on people’s minds.
