Former Aston Villa center forward has slammed Arsenal and England midfielder Ben White claiming that he is overrated and has urged Mikel Arteta to drop him from the starting lineup and replace him with William Saliba.
Ben White joined Arsenal last summer from Brighton for £ 50 million and has forged a partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes at back for Arsenal throughout last season. although some pundits have raised question marks over his £ 50 million transfer fees.
The 24-year-old English international made 32 appearances for Arsenal last season.
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Despite his impressive first season with Arsenal, there were other calls for Ben White to be replaced by William Saliba in the Arsenal starting lineup.
William Saliba joined Arsenal in 2019 from Saint-Étienne for £27 million on a five years deal but the French international is yet to make any official appearance for Arsenal. He had spent the last three seasons on loan in the French Ligue one with the latest being Olympique de Marseille.
Last season in the French Ligue one, Saliba was one of the breakthrough players in the Ligue one and was awarded young player of the season. William Saliba has also been a consistent member of the France national team.
However, Gabriel Agbonlahor believes William Saliba should be given the nod ahead of Ben White in the Arsenal starting lineup next season.
What did Gabriel Agbonlahor say?
In an interview with the Football insider, the former Aston Villa striker said: “I’ve watched Saliba a few times and he’s got that speed that you like to see in a center-half and he’s very good at making the right decision at the right time.
“Arsenal’s defense is nowhere near good enough to get top-four. For me, Ben White is very overrated, I watched him against Newcastle towards the end of the season and he was absolutely dreadful.
“He lacks pace, he lacks aggression. Yes, he’s good on the ball but he’s not a defensive midfielder, he’s a center-half.
“Arsenal need two center-halves who are no-nonsense and have both got speed. For me, Gabriel and Saliba would be my starters next season.
“With Ben White, I think Brighton is laughing at getting the fee they got for him because he’s not good enough.
“It’s a shame that Arsenal has wasted a lot of money again. It was the same with Pepe. Ben White was not needed and Saliba should start ahead of him.”
Arsenal seems to have prioritized the signing of attackers and midfielders in the summer transfer. The Gunners have already signed four players in the summer transfers. Arsenal has Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, Fabio Viera from Porto, Matt Turner from New England Revolution, and Marquinhos from São Paulo.
