One player in Mikel Arteta’s squad finds himself in a difficult situation that, contrary to belief, is unlikely to change.
Arsenal’s improved squad depth means that a handful of players in Arteta’s squad aren’t playing as often as anticipated.
One of the most impacted players is Ben White, who has gone from a locked-in starter at Arsenal to a replaceable player.
White could leave Arsenal in the near future, but the defender’s outlook has shifted in recent weeks, papering over the cracks ever so slightly.
What should Arsenal do with Ben White?
Arsenal fans all love Ben White, but he is not a first-choice starter anymore. Should the Gunners cash in on him in 2026 or keep him? Let us know in the comments below!
Simon Jordan says Ben White is stuck in an unfortunate situation at Arsenal
Arsenal are open to selling White, who has made only 16 Premier League starts since the start of last season.
Just as things started to look as though they’d drifted beyond the point of no return for the right-back, White put on a show against Brentford to remind fans of his quality.
One figure to pay attention to White’s resurgence over the past week was Simon Jordan, who, despite praising the defender, described his situation as ‘unfortunate’.
“I mean, Ben White’s an unfortunate set of circumstances,” Jordan said on talkSPORT.
“They [Arsenal] turned him into a right back, then they got a better right back. And then they’ve got centre backs that now, he can’t displace. That’s football, though.”
White earned a rare consecutive start after his clinic against Brentford, a performance that Jordan thought was of the highest level.
“The fact is that you’ve now got him back in the side looking like a world-class player, which he was [vs Brentford].”
Jordan appreciated that Arsenal had found a way to reincorporate White into Arteta’s plans; however, the ‘unfortunate set of circumstances’ he’d experienced prior will surely resume.
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Things are unlikely to change for Ben White
As Jordan referred to, there was a reason that White lost his place in the starting XI, and that was Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal’s influx of defensive injuries has pulled the Dutchman away from right-back, but once the back four is replenished, things will go back to how they were.
There is no usurping Timber at right-back, just as there’s no chance of a centre-back leapfrogging either Gabriel Magalhaes or William Saliba.
| Player | Premier League starts since the start of 24/25 |
| William Saliba | 45 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | 39 |
| Jurrien Timber | 41 |
| Ben White | 16 |
The combination is a setup that the Arsenal manager trusts, with Saliba, Gabriel and Timber making a combined 125 Premier League starts since the start of the 2024/25 season.
The trio are among the first names on Arteta’s team sheet when everyone is fit, leaving White with minimal routes to get back into the starting XI.
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