Arsenal have completed their third summer signing, announcing the arrival of Ben White from Brighton & Hove Albion on a long-term deal.
Arsenal have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Ben White on a long-term contract. The 23-year-old English international has arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion, who have received £50 million in exchange of his services.
White has been touted to be one of the brightest young defenders in England for a few years now, having initially made his mark while away from Brighton & Hove Albion. It is particularly when he was on loan at Leeds United that he captured the attention of some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, with the who’s who of English football attempting to prise him away last summer.
However, Brighton managed to retain his services and the 23-year-old went on to feature 39 times for the Seagulls last term. Another impressive campaign gave way to a barrage of transfer rumours once again, with some of the biggest Premier League clubs once again locking horns for him. In the end, though, it became evident that Arsenal were the clear front-runners to land him.
Arsenal entered the transfer market knowing that they needed to fill the void left by the departure of David Luiz, who exited the Emirates as a free agent. After being linked with a gamut of central defenders, the Gunners set their sights firmly on Ben White before eventually agreeing a deal to sign him this summer.
Sorry we’re late…
Traffic was a nightmare ? pic.twitter.com/sO1T9981Rw
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 30, 2021
Heading towards the end of the month, the only formality that remained was the medical, which he underwent after returning from his holidays post UEFA Euro 2020. And now, the transfer has been completed, with White penning a long-term contract with Arsenal.
Upon completing the switch, White seemed visibly excited in his first interview, saying, “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.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was beaming after the completion of the deal as well, saying, “Ben was a top target for us and it’s great that we’ve completed his signing. Ben has been educated with two very good clubs, Brighton and Leeds, in recent seasons. He has benefitted well from two very good coaching set-ups and has shown with both Brighton and on loan with Leeds what a strong talent he is.”
As per the reliable Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have paid £50 million to Brighton & Hove Albion to secure the services of the 23-year-old. With that, White has become the third signing of the summer transfer window for Arsenal, who are starting to get their squad in shape.
