‘Fantastic footballer’: Graham Potter says he absolutely loves Arsenal 23-year-old

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Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter has delivered his verdict on Ben White following the Englishman’s big-money move to Arsenal in the summer.

The Gunners made it clear to everyone that White was Mikel Arteta’s number one summer target. Arsenal splashed a mammoth £50 million to sign the 23-year-old (BBC), and he has impressed recently.

However, White had a torrid time against Brentford on his debut and he tested positive for the infamous virus soon after. That was a very difficult period for him, but Potter believes his ‘resilient character’ helped him get through it.

The Seagulls boss sang praises of White in his press conference ahead of Brighton’s game against the Gunners this weekend. He has labelled his former defender as a ‘fantastic footballer and a great guy’.

Graham Potter: Everyone at Brighton loves Ben White

The Seagulls boss said, as per Sussex Live: “Whenever you move club, it’s not a straightforward situation. As much as we’d like to, it’s not so easy to hit the ground running.

“I think that Arsenal, as a team, had a tough game against Brentford as the first game of the season and they had lots of issues in terms of COVID, etc, etc. So, not the perfect situation for him but Ben’s a resilient character.

“He’s a fantastic footballer and a great guy – we all love him here. So, apart from obviously this weekend, we wish him well. And I’m sure he will do well. It was one of those things where I think everybody won from that situation – we got a good fee, they got a good player. Ben gets a chance to play at a club that he sees as a progression for him so everybody wins.”

White and Gabriel Magalhaes are building a very good partnership at the back for Arsenal. They’ve mostly looked brilliant in the few games they’ve played together, but the clash at the Amex on Saturday will be a very difficult test.

Potter is building something really special at Brighton. They’ve started the season in tremendous fashion and although Arsenal are on a roll at the moment, they simply cannot take the Seagulls lightly.