Arsenal are on the verge of signing Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White and club legend Sol Campbell had a message for him on talkSPORT.
The Englishman had an outstanding season for The Seagulls, in his first year in the Premier League and was rewarded with a call-up to the England team. Though the 23-year-old did not make an appearance at the Euros, his performances before that were good enough to attract the Gunners.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Campbell claimed that the north Londoners are paying a little too much as the centre-back would cost £50m.
He said:
“He needs to have a situation where at £50m he needs to be a master of his position and that’s what he has to be. He needs to work out because Arsenal are not in a position to shift out £50million for a player. He’ll definitely have to start if it does happen, and the medical is all good and get going.”
The veteran also spoke about what he thought would happen with White signing:
“He’s played 36 games for Brighton. Is it one for the future? He’s 23-years-old, definitely one for the future. I don’t think you can know too much about someone. In the sense that age wise, you know.
It’s a difficult one, it’s a lot of money but in the years ahead, they see a future. They see someone who can come in and play midfielder, full-back.”
Under both Graham Potter and Marcelo Bielsa, White has proven himself to be an extremely capable defender who has the recovery pace needed for the league. But the most important quality the Englishman has is his passing which is what the Gunners want.
The absence of David Luiz was visible to see with the team’s build-up, and White will fill that role with ease. Able to play all kinds of passes, with his right or left foot, the Brighton man is someone that will delight Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal should be announcing the signing of Ben White soon and despite the price feeling a bit high, it would still be a great purchase. The England international has the potential to evolve into a great player.
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