Perhaps Ben White would have been surprised if, this time last year, he was told his name would top most of the charts that measure success for an attacking right-back within 12 months. Or maybe he would have quietly banked the information, taken it in his stride and continued with his day’s work.
There were few complaints about White’s form in central defence during his first season at Arsenal and it is no small feat that, in line with a team whose prospects have transformed, he has become arguably the Premier League’s best player in his new position.
When White appeared beyond the far post to slam Gabriel Martinelli’s bending cross in off the bar against Leeds last Saturday, it was compelling evidence that the component parts of his game are all clicking at once. No Premier League right-back has carried the ball further than him this season; none have made more successful passes, in or out of the final third; none, by some distance, have been involved in more goal-ending sequences of play. But White had not scored for Arsenal until his half-volley in the seismic win over Bournemouth last month. Now he has two in six and, if that validation were needed, looks every inch the complete package.
White’s attitude to changing position has made a big impression at Arsenal’s London Colney training base. When Mikel Arteta proposed the switch last summer he was not suggesting something entirely alien, but nor did it come as second nature to the player. While White had briefly played at right-back during his time in Southampton’s academy, that was primarily because other centre-backs had been deemed ahead in the pecking order.
He might have been forgiven a touch of deja vu. Had William Saliba not convinced Arteta that aptitude and attitude were both in sync for a successful return from multiple loans, White might still be partnering Gabriel Magalhães in the middle. He could be adding silk to the Brazilian’s steel. But the Arsenal manager knew Saliba’s talent could not be squandered; it meant leaning on the adaptability and, as importantly, willingness of his £50m signing.
We discussed it,” Arteta said in November of the plan he hatched for White. “Every player needs some time, and to understand the reasons why. I think he’s really enjoying it. It brings him other opportunities. Being a versatile player is something rare in this world and I think he has the possibilities to fulfil that.”
The idea caused White some surprise but he embraced it, helped by the clarity and conviction with which Arteta spelled out the future. Other players might have considered themselves shunted to one side or the recipients of mere lip service in such circumstances. After all, Arsenal already possessed a good right-back in Takehiro Tomiyasu who had enjoyed a largely successful year of his own after arriving from Bologna, even if there were some fitness niggles and questions about his composure in attacking positions.
What impressed those working with him was that he did not sulk: it was immediately processed as a new challenge, a fresh learning opportunity, an additional suite of skills to develop. White had proved himself once at Arsenal and knew he could do so again. He was pitched straight into his new role on the opening night at Crystal Palace and, from the outside, it appeared a short-term fix given Tomiyasu had not yet recovered from an injury. Eight months later he has proved impossible to dislodge and, given his competitor for the position will miss the rest of the season, that will remain the case if he maintains his good health.
At Anfield on Sunday afternoon, White is expected to resume the right-sided partnership with Bukayo Saka that has underpinned his rapid progress. Perhaps it is no coincidence that both are known as diligent, low-maintenance professionals: the understanding they struck up was instant and has borne fruit such as Arsenal’s second goal in the home win over Palace last month, when White’s clever pass inside met an astute Saka run and clinical finish. It was cute, subtle play in narrow positions around the box rather than one teammate simply overlapping the other. White has passed to Saka 339 times, more than to anybody else, so far this season: the next recipient, Saliba, trails behind on 274.
Arteta’s calculated risk in redeploying White was in effect doubled given it was vital nothing should inhibit Saka, the most important player in his side. Instead Saka has blossomed into the division’s most scintillating talent and White, offering security behind and intelligent, marauding support offensively, has proved the perfect foil. While the impact of Gabriel Jesus on Arsenal’s attacking urgency has correctly taken much of the credit for their transformation into title favourites, the unlocking of their right flank should carry similar weight.
Could White and Saka transfer that understanding to international level? Like his Liverpool counterpart Trent Alexander-Arnold, White lives in hope of a recall from Gareth Southgate. His early return from Qatar 2022, for personal reasons, is not thought to have dampened his determination to make things work with England. Last month Southgate wondered aloud whether White might return to his old position, but the national team’s options at right-back will dwindle before long. Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker are both 32; White, at 25, could motor up and down that flank for at least another half-decade.
In the short term, Arsenal just need him to do it successfully for another seven weeks. Their management of White after he came back from the World Cup was another feather in Arteta’s cap: what could have been an awkward situation was transformed into a positive, nourishing one in which he was left in no doubt of his value. Arteta has created an environment where misfortune is given no chance to linger, the form of Martinelli since missing a decisive penalty against Sporting Lisbon being another example.
Perhaps White is the perfect character for a title race in which anyone getting ahead of themselves will soon become unstuck. His lack of enthusiasm for following football outside work is no affectation, and his form gives the lie to any suggestion it might be detrimental. White’s dry, understated humour is appreciated around the club; the small, knowing niggles during games, such as a lighthearted running spat with Leeds’ Illan Meslier at corners last weekend, assure fans a character lies within the cool exterior.
“I love the boy,” Arteta said last year when asked about White’s development. It was part of a lengthy answer paying tribute to the player’s application. What might once have been stoicism has, on White’s part, become genuine enjoyment of the role. Another three points on Sunday would prove a giant step towards the ultimate sense of fulfilment.
