Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal are working on a new deal for Ben White and says the club “need players like him”.
The 26-year-old has been one of the Spaniard’s most consistent performers over the last couple of years and already stands on the cusp of his 100th appearance for the Gunners.
While he continues to be overlooked by England after leaving the Three Lions’ World Cup camp prematurely, Arteta has no doubts about the £50 million signing’s importance on the domestic front.
“He’s progressed in the right way in the last few years,” said Arteta ahead of Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.
“He had a little bit of a difficult start, which is normal because it was a big jump [from Brighton], there were different expectations and he started to play in different positions different positions but he showed a lot of determination and courage to overcome all of that.
“He has a big personality, I think he copes with pressure really well, he has a lot of quality, gives us different positions and he’s been a key player for us.”
Since joining the Gunners in 2021, White has spoken openly about the fact he’s not a football obsessive. While the media seem to struggle with the idea of a footballer who doesn’t particularly like football, Arteta has no doubts about the 26-year-old’s dedication to his profession.
“He’s a really good character in his own way and the way he presents himself, but he loves football,” he stressed.
“You don’t play that amount of games, the way he trains every day, the way he applies himself, he’s top and we need players like him.”
Arsenal have rewarded a number of key stars with new deals in the last 18 months – Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba – and it appears White is the next in line for a pay rise.
“Yeah, we are always trying to keep the squad in a healthy position in any way and the club and Edu especially are working on that,” confirmed Arteta.
No idea why blanco is not being valued by the national team setup. He deserves it 100%!!
I’ve no idea either, but let’s just be thankful here that Southgate is enough of a deluded idiot to not ensuring the risk of another injury to our squad.
Once England sort their lives out and employ a decent manager – or one who at least doesn’t put chronic blind faith in clowns like Maguire or Henderson – then I’m sure Benjamin’s time will come.
Because Benjamin is a funny, free-thinking guy and Southgate is to humour what a cheesegrater is to boats.
Just love the way he plays ! Old school but in a new school kind of way ? Fantastic player for us wherever he plays !
My young nephew who has started following football and was leaning towards man city last season is now keenly following Arsenal because Ben White has white hair and I wasn’t honest with him when he asked me if his parents named him for it. He’s now leaning towards us and the indoctrination he’s getting is on steroids. So please whoever is in charge of this contract renewal, make sure there’s a clause on him keeping his hairstyle for a season or more till I get this over the line with the kid’s favorite player. I promise by then there won’t… Read more »
You’ve gotta love Benny Blanco.
Get him and Tommi on extended deals.
We need both of them on board for the long haul, that’s for sure.
COYG
Very much off topic, but does anyone have an idea why Desailly seems so butthurt over Saliba? It’s even comical how unwilling he was to give any sort of credit to Saliba, putting him down whenever he opened his mouth. Did Saliba pocket a sponsorship deal or a place on a team previously to the detriment of a Desailly protegé? He clearly seems to have an agenda.
Saliba has been quite disappointing so far for France, so I’m not sure his stock is very high among former French players.
Their loss, our gain.
He’s hardly played for France. But with Varane’s retirement, I think he will be the leading candidate for that spot, or certainly one of them.
Appart from being a monster when he was at his peak, M Desailly is as well:
a. Retired from football
b. A former Chelski player
c. Bloody jaelous that a young Saliba is already better than him at the same age
d. All of the above
Absolute a must resign for the club. In light of our potential midfield crisis, I’ve always considered Ben a good option for the DM position in a pinch. He’s got the legs, tackles hard, good eye for a pass and has demonstrated he can play multiple positions.
He actually joined in 2021, but it’s still great news.