Ben White would be one of the best right-backs in world football if he didn’t have injuries.
The Arsenal number four has produced a number of exceptional performances over the years, but in the last two seasons, he has struggled to be consistently available.
White played through pain when Arsenal lost both Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu to injuries in the 2023/24 campaign, and that took its toll.
He has never looked the same since, but that could now change with a positional switch.
True or false: Arsenal are a better team when Ben White plays over Jurrien Timber…
Turning Ben White back into a centre-half could help solve the Arsenal star’s injury issues
When Arsenal first signed Ben White, it was to use him as a centre-back.
The England international played most games in his debut campaign in the heart of the defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, and he was almost always excellent.
In that whole campaign, White missed just two games due to injury.
Even before he joined Arsenal, when the defender mostly played in central defence, he didn’t suffer a single injury that led to him missing games.
However, since William Saliba’s arrival, which forced White to right-back, he has missed 44 games, which is a terrible return.
Lack of rest is definitely one of the biggest reasons why, but the physical load on a full-back who has to run up and down the pitch countless times is far greater than what a centre-back has to deal with.
For that reason, it may be time for Mikel Arteta to move White back to central defence, especially as there is a hole to fill now.
Saliba is expected to miss several months due to a back injury, and Arsenal need someone incredible to take his place.
Who should replace William Saliba at Arsenal if his injury rules him out for months?
There have been links to players like Ezri Konsa, but if the debate is between the Aston Villa star and a fully fit White, we’re going with the latter all day long.
For that to happen, however, Arsenal will need to sign a new right-back.
Timber is Arsenal’s first-choice in that role, and that will remain the case as long as he is fit. Cristhian Mosquera can play there, but the Champions League final showed his limitations.
If it were up to us, we would sign Ivan Fresneda as Timber’s backup and move White to centre-half. That will not just solve Arsenal’s defensive problem, but it could also bring an end to the Englishman’s repeated injury issues.
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