Arsenal are fully expected to announce the Brighton defender Ben White as their third signing of the season very shortly, and he will certainly be the most expensive, with reports that the Gunners are going to be splashing out more than 50million to sign him from the Seagulls.
It has been discussed many times on JustArsenal as to whether the Gunners should be laying out such a large part of their transfer budget on yet another defender, but it would appear that their willingness to pay such a large amount has deterred other big clubs, like Man United, from continuing their interest in the talented but not yet completely proven 23-year-old.
The ex-Man United midfielder Luke Chadwick believes that United were keen but realised that they could get the much more experienced superstar Raphael Varane from Real Madrid for a similar price.
“I think Ben White’s got incredible potential, he’s shown that on loan at Leeds and with Brighton last season,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “But I think the price tag may have put a lot of clubs off.
“He’s maybe not the most proven player in the Premier League just yet, though in fairness I think it’s a good move for him to go to Arsenal. Having paid that much for him I think they’ll build their defence around him and it’s an opportunity for him to start every game, and really prove himself at a big club.
“Arsenal are struggling at the minute and looking to get back towards the top of the league, so I think it’s a good move for all sides. If you look at the price tag and United can get hold of Varane for a similar price, I think it makes sense to go for a proven player, a World Cup winner, who can hit the ground running.
“So I’m not that surprised United didn’t go in for Ben White at that price, but I do think he’s got brilliant potential and it could be a good move for Arsenal.”
It is obvious that Mikel Arteta thinks that Ben White is an integral part of his new young team that he is currently building and is hoping he is going to grow into a being a superstar in his own right.
But many others are thinking it is a big risk at the price….