‘Talk to anyone’… Journalist shares what everyone at Arsenal has been saying about Ben White

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Over the past week or so, there has been a lot of debate about Arsenal defender Ben White allegedly turning down an England call-up this month.

Last week, current Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate claimed that the Gunners star had made himself unavailable for selection for the March friendlies.

Speaking at his press conference after the squad announcement, Southgate said Arsenal sporting director Edu told him White did not want to be considered.

This caused plenty of reaction across the football pundit and fan world, with pretty much everyone having an opinion on the £50million Arsenal man’s alleged stance.

While there have been those who’ve just hammered the ‘outrage’ button, we’ve also had some much more nuanced takes, for instance from former England goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Charles Watts reveals what Arsenal insiders say about Ben White

Now, leading Arsenal journalist Charles Watts has made it clear just how respected White is around the Gunners training ground and in the dressing room.

Watts, writing on CaughtOffside, sought to dispel some myths around the 26-year-old’s Arsenal defender’s attitude and work ethic.

“Ben White is as focused about football as any other elite player,” wrote Watts. You talk to anyone at Arsenal and they will say the same thing. No-one trains harder or works harder than Ben White.

“Just because he doesn’t go home and watch match after match on the TV doesn’t mean he isn’t fully committed to the game and his club.

“Mikel Arteta demands absolute professionalism from his players. If they don’t show that, they are swiftly shown the door.

“But White has been rewarded with a new contract that Arteta and Edu were desperate for him to sign and that tells you all you need to know about his character and how he is behind the scenes.

“White has been carrying an injury throughout the season, but he consistently plays through the pain barrier. He is absolutely committed to everything he does.

“So instead of people pointing the finger at White following his decision to opt out of playing for England, they should probably be asking why a player at the peak of his powers does not feel comfortable working with the current England coaching set-up.”

Ben White criticism needs to stop – opinion

Pretty much everyone in and around Arsenal is aware of just what a great character Ben White is at the club.

Sure, he might not be a football obsessive in his spare time, but then again, he doesn’t need to be.

There seems to be this notion that, if you work in the football industry, you have to adore the game as a passion and hobby in your spare time.

However, that needn’t be the case. So long as the player in question is tuned in when it comes to the day job – and White absolutely is that kind of player – then it shouldn’t matter if he’s not bothered about watching games in his downtime.

And with regards to the England call-up, Watts is also on the money. White was buzzing after first breaking into the Three Lions setup. Things seem to have changed since then. What exactly has changed, we don’t know and we likely won’t know for the time being, if ever.

Put simply, the criticism of White needs to stop. Obviously you do get those who just love nothing more than getting the old pitchforks out and joining in on the witch hunts, but you’ve also got those who know better than this, and usually they’ve got more important things to do anyway.