Why Leeds should sign Brighton star Ben White in January
According to Leeds Live, Leeds United could return for Ben White in January after failing with repeated attempts to sign him in the summer window. The defender spent the last season on loan at Leeds and the club wanted to sign him on a permanent deal. However, Brighton refused to agree to it as the player now lines up at Brighton.
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The 23-year-old started his youth career at Southampton’s academy before being released by them in 2014. Brighton snapped him up and drafted him to their U-18 side. He made good progress climbing through the youth sides.
While he was in the U-23s, he was sent on loan to Newport County for a season. He went on to make a staggering 51 appearances for them before returning. In 2019, he had a short loan spell at Peterborough.
However, it was his performances for Leeds that got him the limelight. Just one season on loan and he ended up with 49 games under his name, scoring one goal and assisting two (source – Transfermarkt). He was a vital part of Leeds’ promotion push and ultimate success as the club returned to the top-flight in over a decade.
Ben White can stabilize Leeds fragile backline
Leeds have kept just 2 clean sheets in their 8 league games this season and that should be a huge cause of concern for Marcelo Bielsa. Last season, they managed to keep a staggering 22 clean sheets en route to their promotion and first-place finish in the EFL Championship.
A huge reason for that was Ben White. Playing every game, shoring up the backline, he made Leeds impenetrable on so many occasions. There’s a reason someone like Bielsa is after the centre-back.
The towering centre-back improved Leeds a lot and it explains why the club were so adamant to sign the Brighton man. Even this season, he has played in all of Brighton’s fixtures. While he may not be having the same level of luck, he is still a quality defender.
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Leeds did get three new defenders in the form of Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk. While they have done okay, another defender like White would be a masterstroke signing for Bielsa. The player will have no qualms adjusting to the side as he already has the experience of playing for them.
