Arsenal star Mikel Arteta said was ‘key’ has just been told his teammate is now a level above him

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The increased competition within the Arsenal squad is working very well for Mikel Arteta so far.

Arsenal signed eight new players over the summer transfer window, welcoming players to significantly strengthen Arteta’s options.

The Gunners strengthened virtually every position with their work in the summer, which has positively impacted the Arsenal squad, but not every player.

Some first-team regulars of seasons prior have now slipped down the pecking order, one of whom is Ben White.

• READ MORE: Ben White will not be happy after hearing what Thomas Tuchel has just done

Robbie Mustoe says Jurrien Timber is a different level to Ben White

Towards the end of last season, White was warned about how good Jurrien Timber was as the Dutchman made a name for himself in the Englishman’s absence.

Fast forward to now, and White hasn’t got a place in Arteta’s starting XI, a situation that was unfathomable not long ago.

Pundit Robbie Mustoe spoke about how good Timber has become at Arsenal, mentioning how the defender has managed to usurp White with ease.

“We used to think Ben White was a player back there and could play,” Mustoe said on The 2 Robbies podcast. 

“I mean, Jurrien Timber’s like next level again, which is where, you know, the depth is.”

Timber has become one of the most important components of the Arsenal squad, but it’s not only the Netherlands international’s form that is a problem for White.

Arsenal fans noticed White’s decline during the Gunners’ Champions League win over Olympiacos, commenting on how the right-back has changed.

There’s a lot of work for White to do to get close to the starting XI again, which is a reality that very few would’ve been able to predict. 

White is a victim of the competition in Arsenal’s squad

When White signed his new contract at Arsenal in 2024, Arteta described the defender as a ‘key player’ and a ‘top professional’, as per Arsenal’s official website. 

The Englishman’s professionalism has been tested of late, with minutes hard to come by for the 27-year-old. 

Unfortunately, Timber is exactly what Arteta wants from a full-back, with the same able to be said about Riccardo Calafiori, who has limited Myles Lewis-Skelly’s minutes. 

For White, the drop to second in the pecking order is even more of a test, as the right-back only missed one Premier League game across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

This season, things have started contrastingly, playing only 71 Premier League minutes so far and being an unused substitute for four consecutive league games.

The issue for White is that it’s a very long way back into the starting XI, being behind Timber, who is showing no sign of dropping his performance levels anytime soon.