Ben White: Page 10 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Ben White

Segway

Crazy fee for this guy.

QuincyAbeyie

I dont think anyone disagrees that he'll improve us. Like I said before, what I think of this signing will depend on other signings. Our new CM better be the best one that we can possibly attract for this to make any kind of sense to me.

Doc

Strange. Looks a really good player, but strange use of resources... unless the 250m war chest is actually true. 😆

Do wonder if we plan to go back to a 343 with this guy being prime candidate to be able to step up into midfield when we go forward. Gives Arteta the 'tactical flexibility' he has been pining for..

Main worry would be his aerial ability

Rohit

Yeah, he is a very good signing as long as the spending doesn't stop. Keep them coming.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

He looks brilliant. I'm fully on-board with this, but we MUST go all out in midfield (CM and creative AM/WF) as well, or this won't do shit.

lorddulaarsenal

It’s a top tier signing this one. Sets us up at the back for years.

Big Willie

His ball playing looks quality. Can't help but worry that on the defensive side he looks like another who goes to ground too easily. One of the things I love about Saliba is his ability to take the ball by using his strength and body to get himself between the player and the ball without having to dive in.

It's what I was worried about with Gabriel at the start too and that worry remains with him each time I see him lunging into challenges because he didn't anticipate where the attacker would go.

lorddulaarsenal

Love those runs forward he makes. Sol and Vermaelen used to do them and it’d excite

Gazza M

50m for an undersized, barely proven centre half. diamond eye is weeping into his hassenpfeiffer somewhere

Clrnc

Rohit wrote:
Yeah, he is a very good signing as long as the spending doesn't stop. Keep them coming.

Exactly. I love this signing on its own, top quality defender. Will be worth the price.

But if the other areas thats supposed to be our priority get compromised and we still offload Saliba then heads must roll

goon

Gazza M wrote:
50m for an undersized, barely proven centre half. diamond eye is weeping into his hassenpfeiffer somewhere

He has considerably more experience (and relevant experience) than Gabriel when we signed him for £30m, and certainly more experience than half a season 17yr old Saliba (£25m) when we signed him.

Out of the 3 he's probably the least risky investment pound for pound.

Clrnc

Not really. Gabriel had 2 full seasons in Ligue 1 and also played in Europe at the highest level. For 22m that's a no brainer so you can't say for 50m White is the least risky investment at all.

50m can buy you 1 Sven Botman and 1 more Badiashile etc

Anzac

Had seen a report BHA have accepted an offer of 50m, but they wanted it paid up front. Whilst I think it is likely a deal will be negotiated I am concerned that a large chunk will be paid up front, and the impact of that on our other potential spending.

Asterix

It’s like reverse Wenger days. We used to cry out for defensive players and he kept buying pint sized geniuses. Now we cry out for those and keep getting defenders. And we had one of the best defensive records last year in terms of goals conceded. Our problem was scoring.

Oh well, better keep buying gents.

KingslandBarge

Qwiss! wrote:
It'll be interesting to see how White compares next season to Konate.

Indeed, though suspect latter may be much further along. Maybe over a 2-season spread true colors will start to reveal.

goon

Clrnc wrote:
Not really. Gabriel had 2 full seasons in Ligue 1 and also played in Europe at the highest level. For 22m that's a no brainer so you can't say for 50m White is the least risky investment at all.

50m can buy you 1 Sven Botman and 1 more Badiashile etc

I thought he cost £28-30m?

Anyway he played a total of 38 games in Ligue 1, and without being disparaging I'd put greater value in White's 49 games at Leeds (especially under Beisla), never mind his 40 games at Premier League level this season.

Clrnc

goon wrote:
Clrnc wrote:
Not really. Gabriel had 2 full seasons in Ligue 1 and also played in Europe at the highest level. For 22m that's a no brainer so you can't say for 50m White is the least risky investment at all.

50m can buy you 1 Sven Botman and 1 more Badiashile etc

I thought he cost £28-30m?

Anyway he played a total of 38 games in Ligue 1, and without being disparaging I'd put greater value in White's 49 games at Leeds (especially under Beisla), never mind his 40 games at Premier League level this season.

26m euros, so works out to be about 22-23m pounds, less than half of Ben White and that is already inclusive of add-ons.

Not going to enter the debate of whether Ligue 1 is better level than Championship, just saying its unfair to say a 23m pound signing who had 2 full experience in europe and impressed greatly many top clubs in his appearances at UCL as a more risky signing than a 50m pound defender with 1 full season at the highest level.

Bielsa experience is a big plus though.

QuincyAbeyie

White is more risky simply because 50m is what one would hope a CB's value turns into if he succeeds, unless you're talking van Dijk/Dias level. We've already paid that, not really much more room for additional value.

goon

True but I'm talking less about value and more from the angle where a signing actually pans out.

naz

We're all just whining cuz we're spending 50 million on a guy that's not covering a huge area of concern. We'll have to judge this signing with the rest of our signings this year. For all we know we could be signing 5 50 million signings.

Just on the surface, I agree with Quincy. It's odd to be paying 50 in this market. He better be finished and ready to go because we're not going to be selling him for a profit in the future. Hopefully saliba catches up to his hype, we'd be set for years

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