Saka very impressed with Arsenal transfer target White after England camp

Stefan Bienkowski

16 Jul 2021 14:58 BST
3 min read

Ben White playing for England ahead of Euro 2020 — © ProShots

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has admitted that he was hugely impressed with Ben White while they were both part of the England camp at Euro 2020.

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Although the Brighton & Hove Albion defender never featured for England at the tournament, White has still enjoyed a tremendous season in the Premier League with his club.

So much so, that going into this summer’s transfer window the central defender has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

According to reports in England, White is who the London club think can fix their defensive woes next season and are apparently willing to part with £50 million to sign the player.

And while that may seem like a lot of money, Saka is seemingly a huge fan of what White can do on the football pitch.

"I was impressed the most by Ben White because obviously I haven’t seen him a lot this season,” said the Arsenal winger in an interview with ITV Sport. "Coming here and playing with him I’ve been impressed with him."

As if that wasn't enough of a glowing endorsement, fellow England star Phil Foden was also on hand to praise White’s abilities after watching him in training.

"I haven't really seen a lot of Ben but he's come in and I thought he's been brilliant in training," admitted the Manchester City star.

What to say...gutted is an understatement. I have never been as proud of a group of people as I have with this lot. To spend six weeks with them has been the best time of my short career and I’ve loved every minute of it. pic.twitter.com/LjppbMYcli
— Benjamin White (@ben6white) July 12, 2021

Will White make the move to Arsenal this summer?

While few would doubt that White has proven himself to be an impressive Premier League talent, there are still some question marks over his price and whether Arsenal actually need him.

A £50m move would make White Arsenal’s third most expensive player in the club’s history. And while the Gooners are one of the richest clubs in the world, that price tag seems quite high even for them after a difficult financial period during the pandemic.

As well as that, Arsenal already have solid central defenders in Rob Holding, Gabriel and Callum Chambers, who all combined to give the club one of the best defensive records in the Premier League last season.

Arsenal certainly need to sign some reinforcements this summer but maybe blowing their budget on a central defender shouldn’t be top of their list of priorities.