Ben White speaks to Sky Sports about proving his doubters wrong, helping Bukayo Saka shine and his hopes of a long-term future at Arsenal; watch Chelsea vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
Comment and Analysis @nicholaspwright
Friday 20 October 2023 20:09, UK
There were plenty of moments for Arsenal supporters to savour during their long-awaited 1-0 win over Manchester City. William Saliba's bodycheck on Erling Haaland; Gabriel Martinelli's emphatic winner. Ben White's nutmeg on Jeremy Doku was another.
The piece of trickery, in the penultimate minute of normal time at the Emirates Stadium, was celebrated as a show of impudence and composure under pressure. But in conversation with Sky Sports two weeks later, the player himself remembers it differently.
«I was so tired, I just wanted to waste a bit of time, but he caught me up so quickly,» smiles White. «I turned and he was right on top of me. The pass I was going to play was cut off. It just came to me, I didn't really know what I was doing. I got rid of it as quick as I could after.»
It is a typically matter-of-fact description. «I've been on the other end of it too,» he adds. The defender is sporting newly bleached hair. You won't miss him at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. But in a small meeting room at London Colney, his humility shines through.
That temperament has helped him become a key player under Mikel Arteta, moving from centre-back to right-back without complaint. White is known around the place for being a model professional. He rarely has an off-game and is always available.
There is talk of him becoming the next Arsenal player to be rewarded with a new contract and, now in his third season at the
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