Why did Arsenal move for Brighton’s Ben White?

Arsenal spending £50m on Brighton defender Ben White comes as little to no surprise.

For a team that parted ways with David Luiz, acquiring someone who would be their carrier from the back was a priority. However, disbursement of £50m for someone who only has 36 Premier League games on his resume comes with its fair share of risk.

While it’s too early to even think about his transfer fee, what needs highlighting is why Arsenal decided to go for the 23-year-old in the first place.

Ben White’s rise to fame may have come as surprise to many, but the 23-year-old holds high regard amongst several managers within the Premier League circuit.

During his loan spell with Leeds United in their promotional-winning season, White played every minute of Championship football.

This prompted Marcelo Bielsa to knock on Brighton’s door for a permanent transfer, but the amount Leeds were offering was just not enough. Since then, the defender’s valuation has doubled.

Ben White – A ready-made Arteta defender

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants his team to lay the groundwork right from the back. For that to happen, his centre-backs must have the ability to drive forward with the ball and find their teammates in the final third.

During the 2020/21 Premier League season, David Luiz was tasked with the chore and while there were questions over his defensive abilities, he did in fact play some crucial forward passes.

In 20 Premier League appearances last season, Luiz averaged almost 37% forward passes. Neither Gabriel Magalhaes nor Rob Holding or Pablo Mari managed to match the figure.

This is where White kicks on.

The defender played all but two of Brighton’s Premier League games last season and despite spending more minutes on the field than any Arsenal defender, he averaged 40.07% forward passes.

Furthermore, he also ended his season with more dribbles (24) than any of the other central defenders in the league.

Not just a ball-playing centre-half

Ben White was much more than just laying forward passes last season. His presence in Brighton’s back-line ensured the team finished their season with a joint sixth-best defensive record, having conceded 46 goals.

During the tenure, Brighton managed an impressive 12 clean sheets, which was equivalent to Liverpool and Arsenal. His numbers, compared to Arsenal center-backs, were outstanding too.

In a total of 3,194 minutes, White put in 1.38 tackles per 90 minutes; a figure which is only bettered by David Luiz (1.51). His technical approach and rugged defensive nature, however, meant that he was more superior than every Arsenal centre-back in other aspects.

He averaged 1.75 interceptions per 90 minutes and his closest competitor was Gabriel, who averaged 1.17 interceptions per 90. Furthermore, he also completed 0.68 dribbles and created 0.23 chances per 90 minutes.

Amongst the Arsenal defender, only David Luiz came closest with 0.28 dribbles per 90. Note that over the last two years, he has not made a single error leading to an opposition shot.

He has grown as a player

While Ben White does lack the needed experience of top-flight football, his journey from League Two to League One to Championship and eventually the Premier League has made him a sturdy defender.

All English Premier League

The 23-year-old has not only sharpened his defensive attributes, but his loan spells have also made him a technically sound player. That is evident from the fact that he was used across five different positions by Graham Potter last season.

It ranges from central defender to right-back to defensive midfielder and central midfielder. And it was also one of the reasons why he was called up as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s replacement at Euro 2020.

“We have tracked him [Ben White] since he has been on loan at Leeds we have seen him play in midfield, we have seen him play across the backline, he is comfortable with the ball and he has got pace,” England manager Gareth Southgate said of White.

With Rob Holding proving his mettle last season, Arteta might think of fielding a three-man defensive setup where White fits in perfectly.

Given Gabriel Magalhaes is fit for the entirety of next season, the Gunners might very well form a sturdy defensive framework.