Ben White, 23, won the Brighton & Hove Albion player of the year award this past season, and now he has parlayed that into a move to a bigger club. According to a report in Sky Sports, Arsenal had previous bids of £40m and £47m for the central defender rejected, but their third offer of £50m has now been accepted.
White, who has been linked with the north London club for weeks, will finally arrive and take his medical with his new club once he returns from holiday on July 26.
The Brighton center-back really impressed with the England squad at Euro 2020, following an impressive season in the Premier League.
This will be the first major, big money signing for the Gunners this summer transfer window, who have been working on putting the finishing touches on this deal for a long time. Three Lions deep run in the Euros has been holding it up. Sky Sports understands that the entire £50 million will be in upfront, guaranteed money, none of the sum will be derived from add-ons.
Ben White is comfortable on the ball, a very adept passer, excels in dribbling out and has the ability to play in a back four, back three or even in a holding or defensive midfield role.
Overall, this is a solid signing for the Emirates club, who have plenty of team needs right now as they look to try and finally get their rebuild on track. Ben White is a guy who checks off a lot of boxes.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.