Ben White to Arsenal suits clubs and agent but is it the right move for Brighton star?

Receiving £50 million for a player you picked up for nothing after another club rejected him represents very good business
Ben White impressed for Brighton and England last seasonBen White impressed for Brighton and England last season
Ben White impressed for Brighton and England last season

But I do wonder if Ben White’s agent has ever heard of the phrase, “marry in haste, repent at leisure”?

Without wishing to offend any of my friends who are Arsenal fans, including my soon to be daughter-in-law, but White proposed move to North London isn’t that far off being classed as a sideways move.

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Unfortunately, in many ways Arsenal represent everything that is wrong about top flight football. Regardless of the result or the standard of football on offer, Arsenal generate £4million in revenue for each home game at The Emirates.

It’s 17 years since the Gunners last won the league yet when the ‘Big Six’ wanted to jump ship and form the European Super League – with no relegation and £300million guaranteed in ‘prize money’ each season – they were among the fat cats looking to change domestic football forever.

Thankfully whilst that plan has been well and truly scuppered, it doesn’t disguise the fact that Arsenal – and Spurs for that matter – are a long, long way off challenging the top four.

Therefore, should White’s advisers actually have taken a step back, and looked at the bigger picture?

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After all it’s about the player not the agents fees generated, surely.

Personally, I would have let Ben have another year in a developing Albion team, clearly now a strong candidate for the England squad every time its picked.

In 16 months there’s a World Cup in Qatar, which White could very well feature in an England shirt.

The following month would see the opening of the January transfer window. Surely then a move to one of the top four would see a bigger fee for the Albion and a better personal deal for the player.

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What’s to say, he won’t get bogged down in the air of achievement at Arsenal and perhaps go backwards as a player in this same period of time.

And finally...just an observation, unfortunately – unless you’re the Chinese Secret Service – no one could have foreseen Covid, but Japan have apparently invested almost a Billion dollars for an Olympic Games, which will now have no spectators.

And even now, days before the opening ceremony, is beset with positive tests inside the athlete’s village.

A survey less than three months ago in Japan saw almost 80 per cent of people questioned wanting the games postponed until at least July 2022.

Maybe the powers that be should have listened to popular opinion for once?