Gary Neville admits he was wrong about Ben White and compares him to two Chelsea legends

Ben White has been impressive for Arsenal this season (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images)

Ben White, who has been compared to two former Chelsea players, has shown Gary Neville wrong by emerging as a crucial member of Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge this season.

Ben White of Arsenal has been praised by Gary Neville for proving him wrong and developing into a superb right back.

Going into the final few days of the season, White has been a vital component of Mikel Arteta’s team, which still has hopes of winning a Premier League title for the first time in 20 years. With 50 appearances across all competitions, the 26-year-old has been a virtual constant for the Gunners this season, tallying four goals and five assists.

After spending £50 million to sign White as a center-back from Brighton in the summer of 2021, White ultimately switched to right-back as Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba cemented their defensive partnership in the middle. He has made remarkable progress in his game and is now very comfortable going after goals down the flanks. He also helps the league’s best defense, which has kept eighteen clean sheets.

During his career, Neville played right back for both Manchester United and England, though he has acknowledged that at first, he wasn’t convinced by White’s qualifications. He has since changed his mind, though, and included him in his 2023–2024 Premier League team of the season.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure about him,” Neville admitted during Monday Night Football. Is he split between a center back and a right back? I didn’t know what he was, but that was my opinion.

He’s grown into an incredibly talented right-back. He reminds me of [Branislav] Ivanovic and [Cesar] Azpilicueta, who both played that position for Chelsea for many years. He ought to be on [my season-long team].

Saliba and Gabriel were chosen by both Jamie Carragher and Neville for their team of the season, but White was left off of the roster in favor of an experimental lineup without a full-back. We are talking about this alongside [Rio] Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic, [Ricardo] Carvalho, and John Terry. As a partnership, they have been together for two years, but when you think about them this season, I think this partnership stays together for the next three to four years,” Carragher said.

“Those two truly stand out, and I believe they will complement one of the best center-back combinations we have witnessed in the Premier League.”

“A lot has been said about Saliba, but Gabriel has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Neville continued. At the beginning of the season, something was happening. Possibility of his leaving, but Arsenal weren’t playing well at the time. He made several attempts, but ever since Gabriel entered the picture, he has excelled.