[Football] Arsenal’s Ben White

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Because the agent, definitely, and Ben, possibly, will have to deal with Leeds and Brighton in the future. Therefore everything said should be taken with a pinch of salt. If the truth would be a slight to Leeds, then saying it out loud would hurt future relationships, likewise if Ben really wanted to leave the agent would be equally diplomatic towards us.

This is why the rest of us are looking at everything that happened and not just one throwaway comment from a dodgy agent with a vested interest in not telling the truth anyway.

Holiday / House / Agent / Contract ... 2 suggest he wanted to stay, 1 that he might have wanted to go and you seem adamant contract isn't a factor and yet is used by lots of players in lots of windows to subtly/unsubtly ensure a departure is on the cards within a year.

Hence most of us believe he never *wanted* to go to Leeds (but I'm sure he would have accepted a move readily, he just didn't want it enough to force it).

Thats fine. We view the whole scenario very differently.

I would be interested to know your view on why Leeds bid so many times. We know clubs talk to players/agents before making offers. A club bidding 3 times (if my memory is right) are, in my view, only going to do so where a player/agent has signalled to them they would be interested in the move. In the end we were not going to budge so the choice never had to be made by Ben. He then signed his nice new wage increase as anyone would. 3 years to go on a contract meant he was never going to run it down. May as well sign up and get the payrise. I would.

I think its a bit unfair to say I have based my entire thought process on the matter around the agents comments. If you look through the thread I stated early on I felt it was clear he would have liked the move, way before I then remembered the agents quotes at the time and dug those out.

I, like you, looked at many factors. The timing of the contract signing is something you look at with your perspective, I look at it differently. It's all opinions at the end of the day.

Either way, we will see what happens this summer and if Ben moves less than a year after buying a new house and signing a 4 year deal.

 

[nwgull]

Would rather keep both, but White is a much less important than Bissouma. I'd be very concerned if we lost him.

I'm in a minority here, but I think it's the other way round. We actually played quite well in the games where Bissouma was suspended - Man U at home and Leeds away - and also in the second half v Wolves at home when he was subbed off. The one game that White missed we were shocking and lost to one of the worst teams in PL history!

Not to say that Bissouma isn't a bloody good player, just that White's strengths fit Potter's tactics like a glove.

 

[Springal]

Buying a house doesn't really mean much though to a professional footballer to be fair. He has spent a decent whack on that house but the reality is he could well be leaving us soon anyway - before he even gets to sunbathe in his fancy garden ! Its a material investment that he could quite easily rent out or whatever if needed

 

[Baldseagull]

And his agent saying he was disappointed not to move. I get people say "you can't trust agents" but I just can't understand why the agent would even hint at that if it wasnt true. He said it on the eve of white signing a deal.with us after all those rejected bids.

This isn't digging at your post by the way. I agree with everything you've said through this thread.

Either way, it sounds like we either keep a brilliant player or are going to be compensated wonderfully so all is good.

His agent also said, in regard to signing the new contract, in the same interview "The main consideration for us was whether or not he was going to play."
I think Ben White was disappointed for 2 minutes, and then realised that Potter had every intention of playing him regularly.
The point being, any disappointment was less about any affection for Leeds United, than the chances of playing every week in the Premier League. He would have been happy to have been at Leeds, and playing every week, and happy to be here and playing every week.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

His agent also said, in regard to signing the new contract, in the same interview "The main consideration for us was whether or not he was going to play."
I think Ben White was disappointed for 2 minutes, and then realised that Potter had every intention of playing him regularly.
The point being, any disappointment was less about any affection for Leeds United, than the chances of playing every week in the Premier League. He would have been happy to have been at Leeds, and playing every week, and happy to be here and playing every week.

I agree. It's easy to forget that when he returned from loan there was no real certainty amongst many that he was just going to walk into the team. Whereas he knew where he stood at Leeds and had a brilliant season. The idea of guaranteed first team pl football would tempt anyone in that situation.

 

[Live by the sea]

Buying a house doesn't really mean much though to a professional footballer to be fair. He has spent a decent whack on that house but the reality is he could well be leaving us soon anyway - before he even gets to sunbathe in his fancy garden ! Its a material investment that he could quite easily rent out or whatever if needed

I agree , don’t let spending £1m on a house sway you ( I know for Worthing that’s a lot ) but IF he were to leave , I’m assuming his salary would be £100k plus per week , so based on that £1m is less than 3 months salary . He could afford to spend £5m easily on a house in Hampstead / Primrose Hill etc or any other high class area near his new club if he were to move to Arsenal .

 

[Springal]

I agree , don’t let spending £1m on a house sway you ( I know for Worthing that’s a lot ) but IF he were to leave , I’m assuming his salary would be £100k plus per week , so based on that £1m is less than 3 months salary . He could afford to spend £5m easily on a house in Hampstead if he were to move to Arsenal .

£800k - and think his weekly wage is suggested to be around £35k a week.... but yes principle the same

 

[Baldseagull]

I'm in a minority here, but I think it's the other way round. We actually played quite well in the games where Bissouma was suspended - Man U at home and Leeds away - and also in the second half v Wolves at home when he was subbed off. The one game that White missed we were shocking and lost to one of the worst teams in PL history!

Not to say that Bissouma isn't a bloody good player, just that White's strengths fit Potter's tactics like a glove.

You could be right, the one thing that makes me lean towards Biss being harder to replace is the tackles he makes, but Whites show reel from last season, and bearing in mind it is his first season in the PL, is ridiculously good, I also don't recall more than a couple of mistakes across the whole season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTd908m_Uzw

 

[vagabond]

Thats fine. We view the whole scenario very differently.

I would be interested to know your view on why Leeds bid so many times. We know clubs talk to players/agents before making offers. A club bidding 3 times (if my memory is right) are, in my view, only going to do so where a player/agent has signalled to them they would be interested in the move.

Nicolas Gonzalez turned us down after having a bid accepted.

 

[Ecosse Exile]

You could be right, the one thing that makes me lean towards Biss being harder to replace is the tackles he makes, but Whites show reel from last season, and bearing in mind it is his first season in the PL, is ridiculously good, I also don't recall more than a couple of mistakes across the whole season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTd908m_Uzw

Wish i hadn't watched that tbh, can we just tell Arsenal to do one.

 

[WhingForPresident]

You could be right, the one thing that makes me lean towards Biss being harder to replace is the tackles he makes, but Whites show reel from last season, and bearing in mind it is his first season in the PL, is ridiculously good, I also don't recall more than a couple of mistakes across the whole season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTd908m_Uzw

That's some top class photoshopping

 

[Icy Gull]

When he goes I will be nearly as annoyed about it as Leeds fans were when he came back here

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Nicolas Gonzalez turned us down after having a bid accepted.

Because he chose the other club who had a bid accepted.

I'm not sure what your point is..

We all remember Alex Pritchard. It happens. Player had an interest in joining us. We had bid accepted. Player agreed terms.....and then someone else came in and he chose them instead.

 

[Solid at the back]

Is it legal to agree personal terms before a bid is accepted?

 

[The Optimist]

Is it legal to agree personal terms before a bid is accepted?

Not unless your club give you permission. But Arsenal aren’t going to go to all the trouble of negotiating a £50m deal without knowing whether White actually wants to join them or not. There’s the rules, and then what actually happens.

 

[Braggfan]

That's some top class photoshopping

What can they expect? His body to shrink? To use his massively oversized head to literally win everything in the air?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nicolas Gonzalez turned us down after having a bid accepted.

So did Pritchard, Grabban, the Spurs striker where we got an extension on transfer day and the LB who went to Burnley instead after playing for us.

 

[lawros left foot]

My take on Ben White, Leeds saga last pre- season was that the involved parties (the club, and Ben White/ agent) in contract talks, would have been in discussion for far longer than when Leeds came in with an offer. I would imagine that talks would have started before the season re- started.

Smith -Rowe has been in contract talks with Arsenal since the beginning of March, this is how long contract talks take.

Leeds were taking a punt on there being no agreement.


Not that any of it matters now, water under the bridge.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

There’s the rules, and then what actually happens.

Indeed. This was from The Secret Footballer

"Here’s something that some of you will find obvious and some of you will find surprising: Ninety-five percent of all transfers in professional football happen through tapping up.

But what is tapping up?

Well, strictly speaking a buying club is supposed to contact the selling club regarding*the availability of the player that it would like to sign. But here’s a fact: That’s not how football works.

The reality is that either the club contacts the agent asking after a specific player or the agent contacts the club peddling his players.

It’s all but impossible to prove that an agent and a chief executive of a club are speaking about a specific player. And therefore it’s all but impossible to prove that tapping up goes on.

As a result, tapping up is the industry standard for almost every transfer in the game. It’s easier. It’s less time-consuming."

 

[jcdenton08]

So did Pritchard, Grabban, the Spurs striker where we got an extension on transfer day and the LB who went to Burnley instead after playing for us.

Stephen Ward - things didn't go so well for him in the end though, as he ended up deep in the Profumo Affair and committed suicide. Sad end to a promising career.