Tim Sherwood says Arsenal should have signed Lewis Dunk and not Ben White in the last transfer window.
The Gunners made White their most expensive signing of the summer after his impressive season at Brighton in 2020/2021.
He had been in similarly excellent form during the 2019/2020 campaign when he helped Leeds United gain promotion back to the Premier League, while on loan there.
White is regarded as one of the best emerging defenders in England and Arsenal is looking to build their defence around him.
They expect the Englishman to make them a stronger team at the back, but former Tottenham boss, Sherwood believes who they actually need is Dunk.
He says the Gunners are weak at the back and they need a defender who can attack the ball.
That is exactly what Dunk does and makes everyone that partners him, including White, look good.
‘Everyone who partners Lewis Dunk, seems to get a move,’ Sherwood said as quoted by Metro Sport.
‘For what Arsenal actually require, it was Dunk and not Ben White if I’m honest.
‘He’s always missed out. There are too many scalps looking at what he can’t do instead of what he can do. It’s great for Brighton that he’s still there.
‘He puts his body on the line, and really cares. Arsenal are weak, they don’t attack the first ball – Dunk does that. But they chose to go for White.’
At 29, Dunk is already above the age of players that Arsenal targeted in the last transfer window and may have missed his chance to ever move to the Emirates.
Dunk is clearly the better defender, no one would argue that. However, at 29 he only has a couple years at the top of his game, while White HOPEFULLY develops into a top CB.
Brighton did good business on that one, sold White for around 50 million, and didn’t have to spend a penny to replace him.
Would have preferred to buy Bissouma instead, and give Saliba his chance pairing with Gabriel.
👍 Durand, spot on in your assessment.
Hope you and your family are keeping safe. My wife and I are both fully vaccinated now, but still under lock down, getting plenty of jobs done round the house.
Having choose dunk or white is now the past. What interest me way more is what next ? If saliba keeps going proving himself one of the best young CB in europe. What will Arteta do ? I guess it depends. White having a decent, a bad or a stellar season. I hope arteta wont be stubborn and sell him before he wven plays a game for us. Hope that arteta will be honest and keep the line he mentions : the best plays or get chances. Even if it means putting white on the bench or im midfield
true dat…half the money, thrice the defender…commanding presence in and around the box, with the steel we so desperately need…not to mention, that would have made the whole Saliba loan debacle make sense, as Dunk would have solidified things for the short-term until Saliba was ready for prime time…just imagine the backline staff if we had Gabs, Dunk, Tomi, Tierney, Mavro, Nuno and Mari or Holding, with Saliba waiting in the wings…then we could have taken the monies saved and applied it to a Bissouma and/or creative midfielder purchase…we could have likewise waited on the whole Keeper overpay gig, if we had Dunk captaining our defensive ranks, as this would have almost assuredly made things far more palatable from a Leno perspective
What is the point of what might have been?
Give White a chance. It’s just a few games in to the season
To learn from past mistakes, which we dont really tend to do.
You are implying he’s a mistake after just a handful of games?
I agree SueP, too many people putting the boot in on White after a couple of games. Also some still banging on about Bissouma when we got the excellent Sambi as they were about Buendia who’s hardly tearing up trees at Villa.