Arsenal finally agree a deal with Brighton to sign star defender

The long transfer saga between Arsenal and Brighton is over, with Arsenal acquiring star English stopper Ben White for £50m. Let’s take a look at how the transfer negotiations went and what the new face in the jersey with the cannon on his chest has to offer.

England international Ben White was born in 1997 in Poole. He is one of the best defenders in England. Ben White was a Brighton tribal player where he came through their academy. He spent two years on loan in the lower competitions. In the 19/20 season he was on loan at Leeds United, where he was named the best player of the season. In the 20/21 season he earned a place in the starting line-up of Brighton, where he was also named player of the season.

This defender is a very intelligent player. He has good technical skills and is also strong on the ball. He can also help his team to create counter attacks with his quick runs. He can also play as a defensive midfielder or right-back if needed.

Since the beginning of the transfer window, Arsenal had plans to bring in a player at the stopper position. The club wanted a quality right-back to form a defensive duo with Gabriel. Ben White was the main priority. The negotiations between Brighton and Arsenal dragged on for a long time. Brighton rejected five offers in total. Only the sixth, worth £50 million, was accepted.

Ben White was very keen on a move to Arsenal and hoped that his transfer would be completed successfully. Before the official submission of the first offer, the player met with Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal coach. Arteta and White talked to each other and Arteta showed the English international the project he wanted to create at Arsenal and showed what role White himself would have in the project. This convinced the player.

After accepting the sixth offer, Ben White met Arteta again. Contract negotiations began. They signed a 5 year contract and the player will earn £90,000 a week through it. The contract contains a clause with an option to extend the contract for one more year. Interestingly, the salary of 90,000 a week is less than what Mustafi, Sokratis or David Luiz, for example, received at Arsenal.

Interestingly, Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s star winger, also helped with the move to the club. Both Saka and White represented England at this year’s Euros, where Saka often spoke to White. So although Arteta was very convincing during the interview, he wanted to secure the transfer even more.

Interestingly, several big clubs were interested in this defender. Clubs such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG have inquired about the player. But Arsenal were more active and above all faster, so they ended up acquiring the player.

Ben White will wear the number 4 on his jersey. Arteta says he should be guaranteed a place in the starting line-up. Apart from him, Arsenal have Gabriel, Holding, Chambers and Mari at the stopper position. White is expected to form the main defensive pair with Brazilian Gabriel.

Ben White was not Arsenal’s first transfer in this transfer window. Before him, the club bought left-back Tavares and defensive midfielder Lokonga. According to several sources, these are not all of Arsenal’s transfers, the club wants to try to bring in at least one more top signing. We’ll see who that will be, and whether they can reshuffle the squad to compete with the top teams again.

Sky Sports, Arsenal