Second source drops major questions over Ben White’s Arsenal future: Should he stay or go? | OneFootball

Doubts are being amplified over the future of Ben White at Arsenal after a second national newspaper shone a light on his situation at the Emirates Stadium, but what are the arguments for and against him staying in Mikel Arteta’s squad?

White has only played once in the Premier League for Arsenal this season, despite recovering from a knock to become available since September. Given that Jurrien Timber is in good form at right-back, White has an uphill battle to regain his place, where he used to be a regular starter.

That in itself was already evidence of White overcoming a challenge, since he arrived at Arsenal from Brighton in 2021 as a centre-back but had to adapt to a right-back role to get regular gametime. Now, he isn’t even managing that anymore.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail suggested that Arsenal would be ‘open to offers’ for the 28-year-old.

Now, the Daily Telegraph have taken a closer look at White’s situation, explaining how decision time is approaching for a player whose contract expires in 2028.

The write-up by Sam Dean points to ‘Arsenal’s need to make sales after a summer of extraordinarily heavy investment’ and indicates how White’s future will be up for question – more than likely in the summer, rather than January.

It remains to be seen how much his gametime will have improved by then and what White’s views on his own future will be, given the high levels of commitment he is known to put in behind the scenes.

So, what could the reasons for and against staying at Arsenal be?

Reasons for White to stay

Thanks to his versatility, White could still be useful to this Arsenal team. Their recruitment shows a preference for defenders who can operate as full-backs or centre-backs (such as Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori on the left-hand side and Timber on the right), so it isn’t as if White is being threatened by more specialists in the role he was making his own before.

At centre-back, Arsenal will be without Gabriel Magalhaes for a few weeks due to injury, so White could theoretically be an outside candidate to be restored to his original position.

A further reason to stay at Arsenal would be to remain settled at a club where he has made more than 160 appearances. At this stage of his career, White could thrive as a senior leader in the squad.

Besides, he hasn’t prioritised England duty – although the Telegraph insist he would be available for selection – to a degree that makes playing time ahead of the World Cup appear to be any kind of swaying factor.

Reasons for White to leave

However, that doesn’t mean White should necessarily be content to be a benchwarmer. He’s still at an age (28) where most players are considered to be at their peak.

Therefore, he could take on a more prominent role at another club, especially if Arsenal’s vision for the long-term is for Timber to be their starting right-back.

It remains to be seen which clubs could be interested in White, and whether anyone would want to buy him to be a centre-back again or if he would be seen by suitors as a full-back.

Realistically, White is still of the level where he could play for a club competing in European football. Given how driven he is, it would seem a waste for his commitment in training to not lead to significant gametime anymore.

The former Leeds United loanee will have a lot to weigh up in the weeks and months ahead, but for now can only focus on fighting for his place in Arteta’s plans.

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