✍️ OFFICIAL Ben White

[The_Playmaker]

Gabriel = aerial duels. White = interception machine. Guy who plays it out the back.

Mari = aerial duels. Saliba = Guy who plays it out the back.

Great mix.

Players with aerial ability do not pin themselves to players who are good in the air. It's not hard to move to the cb who isn't good in the air. CBS can't exactly switch positions. I can't remember the last time we had a cb pairing that wasn't good in the air.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

Players with aerial ability do not pin themselves to players who are good in the air. It's not hard to move to the cb who isn't good in the air. CBS can't exactly switch positions. I can't remember the last time we had a cb pairing that wasn't good in the air.

Kosc and Merte were our last best CB partnership. Merte was the aerial guy and Kosc the mop.

A mop next to an aerial dominant CB is key. Gabriel is serially dominant. Stats show it in France and he's been good in the air here as well.

 

[Iceman10]

He's had a massive half season after recovering from injury. Last year he did well too, albeit in a lower league. He's not a ball playing CB, but could see him working next to Mari or Saliba really well.
I think the problem is that you can only keep one of him or Saliba - he probably loses out from being the lesser talent. It's a big call between them though. I just hope we don't end up losing both

New commenter, joined May 2021. Look forward to seeing more of your stuff here at A-M.

 

[The_Playmaker]

Kosc and Merte were our last best CB partnership. Merte was the aerial guy and Kosc the mop.

A mop next to an aerial dominant CB is key. Gabriel is serially dominant. Stats show it in France and he's been good in the air here as well.

Koscielny was very good in the air.

 

[samshere]

He's had a massive half season after recovering from injury. Last year he did well too, albeit in a lower league. He's not a ball playing CB, but could see him working next to Mari or Saliba really well.
I think the problem is that you can only keep one of him or Saliba - he probably loses out from being the lesser talent. It's a big call between them though. I just hope we don't end up losing both

What we have got is two very different styles of defender. It'll be telling if Arteta isn't able to use either of them.

 

[El Duderino]

People harp on the Mertesacker and Kos partnership too much. They complimented each other, sure, but the following act was Mustafi, Gabriel Paulista, Squilacci, Djourou, Et. Al.

If you put two good defenders next to each other, who are not completely brain dead like Mustafi was, it'll usually work out.

 

[Penn_]

His awareness is a bigger strength then his aerial weakness.

Saliba, if we ever see him, Gabriel and Holding all have decent aerial duel stats, I’m not sure it’d been too much of an issue.

 

[Batman]

For a club with our notoriously finite budget even be considering paying the English player premium for this kid when we have better players under contract just shows how dumb those in charge are. If you're going to pay that premium, do it for Grealish, not this kid. Absolutely nonsensical.

 

[dashsnow17]

If the reports are true that they want to offer Nketiah a new deal to "protect his value", then it's not so strange to think they gave Holding a new deal to protect his value. So I wouldn't say Holding is a sure bet to be here for the long-term, although he could be.

But even if you bring in White and Saliba, I mean there's a lot of talent there, but no real experience or leadership. It's like we're trying to bring in young players all over the team, in addition to the young players we already have. Where's the experience, where are the leaders next season?

 

[Iceman10]

It's like we're trying to bring in young players all over the team, in addition to the young players we already have. Where's the experience, where are the leaders next season?

This wouldn't fit with Arteta's tendencies last season to prefer experience to youth options in multiple instances, so something doesn't quite add up.

 

[RunTheTrap]

I'm more intrigued by White as a DM than a CB. Did anyone watch him at Leeds in the Championship.

 

[OnlyOne]

I'm more intrigued by White as a DM than a CB. Did anyone watch him at Leeds in the Championship.

Yes, he played there 4 times because of injuries and no other reason. He is a CB who played in a back four under Bielsa, got voted Leeds Young Player of the Year.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

This mornings article says he's the main target for CB (Jules Kounde mentioned again) and that we will be making an offer soon.

Surprised Tapsoba hasn't been mentioned since.

 

[TornadoTed]

I think you have to be careful with stats with defenders. For example even though it pains me to say it take one of the best central defensive partnerships of the last 20 years, Ferdinand and Vidic. I don't have stats but going from memory I would imagine Ferdinand had pretty poor aerial stats as Vidic was the one who attacked most things that came in the air. And vice versa I bet Vidic's distribution and passing stats weren't that great as that was where Ferdinand excelled.

I haven't seen Ben White or Brighton enough to really judge but central defence is all about a partnership and he doesn't necessarily need to be a beast in the air if his partner excels at that. Gabriel and Mari are both good in the air so partnered with either he could be absolutely fine.

 

[dashsnow17]

I think you have to be careful with stats with defenders. For example even though it pains me to say it take one of the best central defensive partnerships of the last 20 years, Ferdinand and Vidic. I don't have stats but going from memory I would imagine Ferdinand had pretty poor aerial stats as Vidic was the one who attacked most things that came in the air. And vice versa I bet Vidic's distribution and passing stats weren't that great as that was where Ferdinand excelled.

I haven't seen Ben White or Brighton enough to really judge but central defence is all about a partnership and he doesn't necessarily need to be a beast in the air if his partner excels at that. Gabriel and Mari are both good in the air so partnered with either he could be absolutely fine.

Scouting for CBs in general is very tricky. We watch comps and look at stats but that doesn't tell you if they'd fit or not, it's so system dependent. Ruben Dias for example is a good player but he's been made to look like a Player of the Year winner because of the system there, he could just as well go to a different system and look nothing special.

Saliba is a great example, you look at his stats and they are VERY different season to season, his stats at St Etienne compared to Nice are like a totally different player. So you really can't point to raw CB stats and say that's what they'd do in a different team.

 

[OnlyOne]

Come on please get this done.

 

[TromsoGooner]

I think you have to be careful with stats with defenders. For example even though it pains me to say it take one of the best central defensive partnerships of the last 20 years, Ferdinand and Vidic. I don't have stats but going from memory I would imagine Ferdinand had pretty poor aerial stats as Vidic was the one who attacked most things that came in the air. And vice versa I bet Vidic's distribution and passing stats weren't that great as that was where Ferdinand excelled.

I haven't seen Ben White or Brighton enough to really judge but central defence is all about a partnership and he doesn't necessarily need to be a beast in the air if his partner excels at that. Gabriel and Mari are both good in the air so partnered with either he could be absolutely fine.

Vidic was more aggressive in the air but Ferdinand was excellent in the air. Rarely beaten in the air

 

[HairSprayGooners]

I think we will do it for £40M.

 

[tap-in]

I'm pleased we are going for a CB. We definitely need better quality than Holding if we want to go for top 4 or even top 6.

 

[Dutch D]

I think you have to be careful with stats with defenders. For example even though it pains me to say it take one of the best central defensive partnerships of the last 20 years, Ferdinand and Vidic. I don't have stats but going from memory I would imagine Ferdinand had pretty poor aerial stats as Vidic was the one who attacked most things that came in the air. And vice versa I bet Vidic's distribution and passing stats weren't that great as that was where Ferdinand excelled.

I haven't seen Ben White or Brighton enough to really judge but central defence is all about a partnership and he doesn't necessarily need to be a beast in the air if his partner excels at that. Gabriel and Mari are both good in the air so partnered with either he could be absolutely fine.

He doesn't really seem to excel in any stat, though. I don't know him very well, looked like an interesting prospect at Leeds, but hasn't really caught my eye at Brighton this season to be honest.