Ray Parlour says two Arsenal players have made a ‘massive’ difference, must stay fit

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Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has waxed lyrical about Gunners centre-backs Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Mikel Arteta signed White in the summer for a reported £50million, a fee which raised some eyebrows at the time.

The 24-year-old had to find his feet at Arsenal but he’s now showing exactly what he’s capable of with some superb displays.

Gabriel, meanwhile, joined the Gunners in 2020 for a reported £23.3million, and has been solid for most of his time at the Emirates.

White and Gabriel are Arteta’s preferred centre-back pairing and have helped Arsenal go eight games unbeaten in all competitions.

Although the partnership was broken up against Wimbledon and Leeds in the Carabao Cup, White featured in the win over the Whites.

Parlour, speaking to talkSPORT (via Metro), singled the two defenders out for their efforts over the past few weeks.

“All I can say is I’m really pleased with the back-four at the moment,” he said.

“I think the two centre-backs have made a massive difference.

“If you can keep those guys fit and keep it a steadied ship at the back then they look a lot more solid.

“Ben White and Gabriel look like they’ve got a decent partnership forming which is going to be very, very good for Arsenal if they’re going to come as high as they can in the top five or top six.”