Ben White has joined Arsenal from Brighton & Hove Albion on a long-term contract.
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Arsenal defender Ben White has reassured fans over his capabilities, having recently signed for a massive sum from Brighton & Hove Albion on a long-term contract. The 23-year-old defender has proved to be one of the Premier League’s finest young prospects. White joins the English giants after spending the summer as part of the England squad at the Euros. The 23-year-old spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Leeds United. He was an ever-present in their Championship-winning side, helping them win promotion back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
“When times get hard in games, I can step up and control situations. I’m very relaxed on the ball and through that I can produce quality in bad moments of the game. My main [position] is obviously centre back. That’s where I’ve developed over the years. I’ve slotted into different positions to help the team and I feel like I can do that to help the team. If I need to do that this season, I’ll definitely be up for it,” he stated in an interaction with Arsenal’s official website.
White further opened up on the chaos surrounding his transfer, elaborating on the secrecy involved.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it. Obviously I’ve known for quite a while and it’s taken longer than I thought it would, but I’m buzzing to be here. It’s funny because all my mates were with me during the summer. They’re putting stuff up on social media and obviously people find that out, asking him questions. He’s got exactly the same as me. It’s nice. Now they’re going to know!”
“It’s been hard to not tell anyone to be fair. I told my family to keep it quiet. Even when I was on holiday I was getting asked whether I am or not. It was tough but I managed to keep it [quiet]. I think [I found out] when I was with England, that’s when it got a bit more serious. It was obviously nice to find out and to be here is absolutely unbelievable,” he added.
White hailed Arsenal as a team that speaks for itself, stating that he interacted with manager Mikel Arteta.
“I don’t think I needed too much convincing to be fair. Obviously Arsenal speaks for itself and I spoke to the gaffer a number of times during the summer. I got good vibes and the way the gaffer wants to play, I think I can produce quality in this team and hopefully get Arsenal back. I’ve played in the Football League, I’ve played for a number of teams on loan and the hunger’s still there. I’m really happy to be at a massive club like this and hopefully bring the level up of this team.”
The defender was also full of praise for Bukayo Saka, terming him as a sharp player.
“So I had a bit with Bukayo over the summer. I hadn’t seen much of him before then and he really surprised me how talented he is. [I didn’t train against him a lot] but some of the other boys did. He’s so sharp and I was really surprised how good he is.”
