Ben White is reportedly pencilled in for his Arsenal medical after returning to England, with the club set to announce his £50 million signing early next week.
According to Daily Mail, Arsenal will announce the capture of Ben White after the defender completes his medicals and signs a contract with the club. The Gunners had already agreed on a £50 million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion a few weeks ago, but the England star was away on his holidays since the end of UEFA Euro 2020.
Arsenal are preparing well for the season ahead and earned a decent 4-1 win over Millwall in a closed-door friendly yesterday. The Gunners are busy strengthening their squad in the transfer window, with many new faces expected to arrive in the coming month.
One player who Arsenal fans are eagerly waiting for their club to announce is Ben White. The Brighton defender has, in fact, been pencilled in for a medical for this weekend. The Gunners have agreed to a £50 million deal with the Seagulls weeks ago.
Mikel Arteta wanted White to join Arsenal, as the manager identified the defender as the perfect addition to his defence. The need to sign a high profile centre-back arose after David Luiz departed the Emirates after his contract expired. The Brazilian was an important figure at the back for the two seasons he played in North London.
Luiz was a ball-playing defender, and White has those features in him, making him the ideal replacement. In addition to the Brazilian’s departure, Arsenal have also allowed promising French defender William Saliba to join Marseille on loan at a time when everyone expected him to form a part of Arteta’s defence for the upcoming season.
The transfer fee for White is certainly high, but Arsenal considered investing in him for the long-term. The Gunners had other targets in mind, but the Brighton star was their priority all along.
Arsenal saw two huge bids being rejected by Brighton, who were adamant about their valuation of the player. There was interest from Chelsea and Everton in the build-up to the Gunners’ third and final bid. However, Arsenal ensured a deal was agreed with the Seagulls before the whole saga turned into a bidding war.
White was also keen on joining Arsenal over other interested clubs – one of the factors that helped the Gunners agree to personal terms with the player before making the third bid of £50 million to Brighton. And the Englishman is likely to complete all the formalities of the transfer soon, with medical tests scheduled for the weekend.
Arsenal will announce the signing early next week. In all, White is a fantastic addition to Arteta’s squad, who are vying to get back into Europe next season. The defender is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet next term but will likely miss the start of the season due to his late arrival owing to his participation at UEFA Euro 2020.
