[Football] Ben White - Sings new FOUR year deal.

[Blue Valkyrie]

Cut price at 30m? You're as bad as the LUFC mob. He is barely worth 25m during this window, in reality.

Don't expect we will sell, as per club's position communicated through multiple sources and lack of loan to buy.

Selling to Leeds would be a non-starter, we've rejected this.

However, an offer from a club we aren't competing with, north of 30m should seriously be considered and would represent good business for us during this window.

We don't need Ben White, providing only Shane leaves.

For £30 million we'd need a 50% sell on clause as well.

Otherwise we'll be sobbing when he moves on again for £80 million.

 

[Spacegull]

To borrow the poker analogy, The Lizard is sitting impassively with a royal flush. Leeds are sweating profusely, about to go all in with a hand consisting of the knave of clubs, Pikachu, Mr Bunn the Baker, a bus ticket and a beer mat.
Relax.
We either cash in (at pre-covid market rates) on one of the hottest HGPs around (to a non-tinpot club, obvs) or we enhance our squad with him, further increasing his value.
No, he’s not been tested at the top level but yes, he’s got what it takes.
FWIW, with a bit of astute training, he could be moulded into the holding midfielder/CDM of our dreams.

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

Cut price at 30m? You're as bad as the LUFC mob. He is barely worth 25m during this window, in reality.

Don't expect we will sell, as per club's position communicated through multiple sources and lack of loan to buy.

Selling to Leeds would be a non-starter, we've rejected this.

However, an offer from a club we aren't competing with, north of 30m should seriously be considered and would represent good business for us during this window.

We don't need Ben White, providing only Shane leaves.

We don't need Ben White if we are happy with our current position of fighting relegation every season but if we have ambitions to be more than that we need him.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

There hasn't really been much mention of what an odd move it would be for Ben White, the player, if he did go to Leeds.

At best, it would be a sideways move in his career, and a huge gamble that they would have a higher chance of staying up next year than us. Whilst he looked sublime in a winning team in the league below, would he look the same in a losing one in the PL? We would be the safer bet on paper having survived in the Premier League for the last three seasons. The only positive for him in the whole hypothetical deal is he's already quite liked and admired at Leeds. You'd be a bit mad though if, at the first opportunity you have to move to the top level in your career, you decide to stay at a similar level because you've made a couple of new mates over the last year.

If Liverpool and Chelsea are really interested and happy to pay our asking price, him not signing a contract yet makes perfect sense. It would be far more of a gamble in the long term for him to stay with us before entertaining the real possibility of move to a Champions League club.

An odd move for Ben White? No, i can't see that, I think White would be delighted to go. Not saying he wouldn't be excited to stay either, he will be in the premier league regardless, but if he really had a choice....?

Look at the evidence. He's loved by their fans, the players, the manager. He's been an integral part of their most successful season in almost two decades, playing every minute and named man of the match on numerous occasions. He knows he would be 100% on the pitch first game next season, and like all footballers he will want to play. He knows Leeds style of play, he knows that he perfectly fits their style of play, he knows his teammates and how they play. He is more suited to succeed instantly at Leeds. If his ambition is to go all the way to the top, the quickest route is through Leeds.

At Brighton he doesn't (yet) know these things. They're are far more uncertainties at Brighton than Leeds. He probably won't be in the first team for the first game of the season and will have to fight for a chance, and he has to learn our style and where he fits.

In time he will know we're a pretty damn fine club ourselves. GP will want to get him game time - and will feel pressured to give him game time - so he will be out there, but he won't be the number one defender in our team. This is still development and too much pressure may harm him. There are potentially more pitfalls at Leeds - if the team starts shipping goals and he isn't ready to be under concerted pressure by world class strikers, he will find himself in the firing line game in game out - and as the centre piece of their defence, nowhere to hide. But Bielsa IS a top coach, and he knows he'll be in good hands there. When he gets to know Potter he'll understand the same at Brighton.

Development is rarely linear, and White has barely had a setback in his career to date. How that affects him mentally we don't know - but he must be confident, and thus confident to push for a move at his age? But there are bound to be difficulties next season, and how he deals with them will determine if he goes to the top top level. The big clubs will be talking to him already, they probably won't pay £25m now because they'll think nothing of paying £40m if he proves himself - but they'll be laying the groundwork to try and get White to choose them when the time comes.

As for TB, it's a fiddly situation and will be guided by the scouts I expect. Can we afford to have a £25m asset on the bench, being slowly developed, when we could invest that and more up front? Could his value have peaked, he has never failed in his career but tougher times lie ahead. How will we feel if we keep him and find ourselves struggling with poor performances from White, having turned down that cash.

So much of our planning is for the long term, so if they stick to their guns we'll keep him and develop him. If they sell its because they have determined that the money - and what we can do with it now - is a better decision. Dunk Webster Clarke Veltman is hardly a poor selection of CBs (maybe Dunk's future holds the key). And if we sell it will surely be Leeds, and we shouldn't begrudge that to Ben for his career, regardless of the idiot Leeds fans.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I like the word 'refuse'. Even a most ardent Leeds fan should be able to grasp this. I expect that the word refuse was specifically used by BHA and fed to the Mail to give absolute clarity about the situation so it can be put to bed. Well done BHA.
Now Leeds, go away and work on getting Bielsa to sign that contract.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...white-but-happy-for-shane-duffy-to-leave/amp/

'Refuse' also in the Sun headline, again with no corresponding quote from the club.

Does look like our press guy has done a round of calls with a clear signal of the club's position

Which is nice

 

[Mellotron]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...FUSE-sell-star-defender-Ben-White-summer.html

Leeds CEO using a notable phrase;

'Ben is going to be hugely sought-after,' Kinnear said, as reported by LeedsLive.

'It's one of the risks of doing the type of deal we did. I know supporters say "well, why isn't there an option to buy him?" The reality was Brighton weren't prepared to do that, so it was either take the player without an option or don't take him at all.

'We clearly made the right decision. We now have some conversations to have with Brighton as to where they see his future.'

Good to see he lives in the real world, even if lots of Leeds fans don't.

 

[Originunknown]

We don't need Ben White if we are happy with our current position of fighting relegation every season but if we have ambitions to be more than that we need him.

Why is that, are you expecting him to score 20 a season?

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

Why is that, are you expecting him to score 20 a season?

I'll be happy with 15 if they are all like the goal against Charlton.

 

[Clive Walker]

only one scenario where I think selling him to leeds is decent business to brighton.

- 50% sell on clause if leeds are still a PL club
- Buy back clause if leeds are relegated (@£10m)
- £40m in cash/upfront.

Guessing that Leeds have a budget of £80m, helping them to spunk half of it on one unproven player may play into our hands.

The above won't happen but it is the only conceivable way he will be Leeds bound.

 

[Hugo Rune]

We don't need Ben White if we are happy with our current position of fighting relegation every season but if we have ambitions to be more than that we need him.

Perhaps ‘avoiding relegation’ rather than ‘fighting relegation’ ?

We’ve been in the bottom three for just one week in three years, we don’t know what a proper relegation scrap even looks like.

You are right on White though.

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

only one scenario where I think selling him to leeds is decent business to brighton.

- 50% sell on clause if leeds are still a PL club
- Buy back clause if leeds are relegated (@£10m)
- £40m in cash/upfront.

Guessing that Leeds have a budget of £80m, helping them to spunk half of it on one unproven player may play into our hands.

The above won't happen but it is the only conceivable way he will be Leeds bound.

But we would still be strengthening a rival.
The only conceivable way in which he goes to Leeds is if Kalvin Philips comes the other way.
Obviously not going to happen.

 

[Change at Barnham]

@Kalimantan
That is an excellent post. With all tribalism removed that is pretty much spot.
Have you ever thought about going into a career of divorce mediation?

My own personal feeling is that time changes everything. Within a few weeks back at Brighton everyone will have moved on and will be talking about other things.
In a years time Brighton will know how their other prospects are developing.

I personally think we have another gem on our hands also. Having seen Matt Clarke's player of the year highlights for Derby County I think he may well be a better player than most of us have realised. He seems to be a clone of Lewis Dunk.

 

[Berty23]

I don’t understand the headline about refusing. It is silly. Would we sell if someone offered one billion? Obviously. So that means he has a price, is someone meets it then we will sell, it is that simple.

 

[Originunknown]

I'll be happy with 15 if they are all like the goal against Charlton.

But in reality, next season he'll be lucky to score 2 or 3 and our defence at times this season has been superb.

Scoring more will take us out of the bottom half as you mentioned, not retaining Ben White.

 

[Clive Walker]

But we would still be strengthening a rival.
The only conceivable way in which he goes to Leeds is if Kalvin Philips comes the other way.
Obviously not going to happen.

Another way of looking at it is that we would simply be giving them their starting CB from last season. Thats not strengthening its standing still.........for £40m plus extras........

 

[chaileyjem]

blimey. thats how I see the saga.

But if the mail are reporting it also then I am questioning everything!

The Mail aren't reporting it. They're re-writing The Sun article by Tom Barclay.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/1235...ben-white-but-happy-for-shane-duffy-to-leave/
Tom has been reporting on the Albion for The Sun for many years now.

 

[OvingdeanSeagull]

Another way of looking at it is that we would simply be giving them their starting CB from last season. Thats not strengthening its standing still.........for £40m plus extras........

Yes but for free, we can keep him, improve our team and vastly weaken Leeds'. That sounds like quite a nice deal to me.

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

Yes but for free, we can keep him, improve our team and vastly weaken Leeds'. That sounds like quite a nice deal to me.

Yes and also test the theory of Bielsa leaving if they don't get him.

 

[Clive Walker]

when does bielsa's current deal expire. Can we make him director of football?

 

[papajaff]

Cut price at 30m? You're as bad as the LUFC mob. He is barely worth 25m during this window, in reality.

With respect, that totally misses the point. It doesn't matter what we think Ben is worth, the point is that we don't want to sell so if we say, ok you can have him for 40m and a club wants to pay that, then so be it.

A player is only worth what two clubs agree on.

The Free BW stupidity is actually a joke on Leeds but their bellend fans don't realise that. You CAN free him by giving us 40m. It is a simple as Leeds fans. Not all of them, just 99.9% of them.