Why Ben White can be a great signing for Chelsea
According to The Sun, Ben White has emerged as a defensive option for Chelsea. The Blues have again been tipped to spend in the January transfer window after an underwhelming season so far.
White has attracted the attention of several clubs with his performances this season. Chelsea will have to vie with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in order to sign the Brighton man.
Profile
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. Currently, he is back at Brighton.
White can be a long-term signing who can sort out the Chelsea defence
Over the last few games, Chelsea have looked really solid in defence. The newfound defensive nous has been due to the brilliance of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva. On the occasion of Silva being rested, the likes of Christensen and Rudiger have chipped in.
However, there are two good reasons as to why Chelsea should pursue White. Firstly, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori could depart the club soon, which would leave them a little thin in central defence.
Another is that Thiago Silva isn’t getting any younger. While he is still a decent player, time will eventually catch up with him. At this point, Chelsea could really use a young and capable defender alongside Zouma.
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Brighton refusing numerous bids from Leeds (source – Sussex Live) should tell you that the player isn’t all that bad. Especially when you consider someone like Marcelo Bielsa is chasing him.
He is an experienced chap with time in the lower tiers. Going for someone like White would settle down their defence in the long run too. He would be a very good signing for the club in the scenario that Chelsea can convince Brighton to part with the towing center-back.