Ben White admits Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has already surprised him
Ben White admits he was highly impressed by Arsenal star Bukayo Saka while on international duty with England
Ben White has admitted that he was “really surprised” by Bukayo Saka’s talent after linking up with his new Arsenal team-mate while on international duty with England at Euro 2020.
White was finally confirmed as an Arsenal player on Friday after weeks of speculation linking him with a move from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 23-year-old defender is widely reported to have signed a five-year contract with the north London side after Arsenal agreed a fee of about £50m with the Seagulls for his transfer.
White was part of England’s squad at Euro 2020, and although he did not make an appearance at the tournament, he admits that he was hugely impressed by what he saw from Saka in training with the Three Lions.
So I had a bit with Bukayo over the summer,” White told Arsenal Media. “I hadn’t seen much of him before then and he really surprised me how talented he is.
“[I didn’t train against him a lot] but some of the other boys did. He’s so sharp and I was really surprised how good he is.”
White also went on to reveal that he first learned about Arsenal’s interest in signing him this summer during Euro 2020 and he did his best to stay quiet when asked about the rumours.
He continued: “Obviously I’ve known for quite a while and it’s taken longer than I thought it would, but I’m buzzing to be here.
“It’s funny because all my mates were with me during the summer. They’re putting stuff up on social media and obviously people find that out, asking him questions. He’s got exactly the same as me. It’s nice. Now they’re going to know!”
“It’s been hard to not tell anyone to be fair. I told my family to keep it quiet. Even when I was on holiday I was getting asked whether I am or not. It was tough but I managed to keep it [quiet].
“I think [I found out] when I was with England, that’s when it got a bit more serious. It was obviously nice to find out and to be here is absolutely unbelievable.”
White will be hoping to make his Premier League debut for Arsenal when they take on Brentford in their season opener on 13 August.
