Mikel Arteta responds to criticism of Ben White ahead of Arsenal clash with Chelsea

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Arsenal signed Ben White from Brighton for 50million last month but struggled to cope with Brentford forwards in a 2-0 defeat on Matchday 1 of the Premier League season.

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Mikel Arteta jumped on Ben White’s defense after Arsenal’s new boy came under criticism for his disappointing debut against Brentford.

The Gunners signed White, 23, from Brighton for 50million last month but struggled to cope with the Bees forwards in a 2-0 defeat on Matchday 1 of the Premier League season .

The center-back was regularly beaten in mid-air by Brentford forward Ivan Toney, raising fears he could “be exposed” by more teams.

However, Arteta claimed White deserved praise for starting the game days after joining Arsenal as he put his weight behind the England international.

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“Yes he can improve [in the air], but he also won numerous aerial duels against him in the match, “the Emirates boss told Sky Sports.

“You highlight the ones he didn’t win, but Toney will win heads against any defenseman in this league because that’s a great quality of him.

“You have to accept that this is an area of ​​the pitch where if you concede those heads it obviously becomes more dangerous for the team. But he made a good start.

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“He hadn’t trained a lot. Bukayo Saka couldn’t figure it out from the start and he was in the same training plan as Ben but Ben put in a big effort.”

Despite his encouraging comments on White, Arteta admitted that the defender was “not where he needed to be” when it comes to the physical aspect of his game.

Nonetheless, the Spaniard is delighted to have a versatile and technically gifted option in his backline and added: “Ben is an exceptional defender.

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“He can play in a back four, he’s very comfortable playing in a three back, he’s experienced in the league, he’s fast, he’s nimble, he’s really aggressive in duels.

“And then with the ball he has special qualities that I needed for the way we played, to improve all the processes and for us to be calm and dominant in the games as we want.”

White is one of the many new faces to arrive at Arsenal this summer, alongside Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares.

The Gunners have spent 140 million and Arteta thinks he has a “really strong squad”.

He said: “I have been in constant contact with the club hierarchy, with Eddy [technical director Edu], with Richard [Garlick, director of football operations] and with our coaching team, trying to find the players we want to recruit and try to be on top of every deal to make it happen under conditions that we can afford.

“I think we have created a very strong team that really enjoys working together. I hope you will see the fruits of it.”

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