My Arsenal Blog

Arsenal suffered a rather underwhelming, if not altogether surprising, defeat at the Emirates at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. It obviously means their campaign in this competition is over, despite manager Mikel Arteta talking ahead of the match about a sending out a competitive team and aiming to go through to the next round.  .......Read more here.....

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been linked with leaving Arsenal (on a permanent basis) practically every window for several years now, but he’s so far been going away only on loans and has had temporary spells with West Bromwich Albion and AS Roma.

The 24-year-old has entered the final year of contract and unless a sale is agreed within a week from now, he’s most likely to leave as a free agent at the end of the season, though a cut-price exit in January shouldn’t be ruled out either.  .......Read more here.....

Following the 3-1 triumph in the North London Derby, where Arsenal gave us a glimpse of the way manager Mikel Arteta wants his team to play, they put in another largely underwhelming performance against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex on Saturday and were lucky to get away with a clean sheet and a point for their efforts.

One of the better players out there was Tahekiro Tomiyasu, who has so far shown himself in a very positive light since his arrival from Bologna this summer. Arteta prefers to set the team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but he has been known to use the 3-4-3 as well, and with Hector Bellerin gone from the club, Tomiyasu was identified as a good option for the right side of defence in either system.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal will be facing Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex on Saturday afternoon in their seventh match of the Premier League season. For Ben White, it’ll obviously mean returning to the stadium which he left in the summer to join the Gunners, and Brighton boss Graham Potter praised his former charge at his pre-match press conference.

White’s performances for the Seagulls last season were so impressive that he was eventually granted a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros this year, prompting Arsenal to pay as much as £50m for his services.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal were heavily linked with Yves Bissouma of Brighton and Hove Albion, though admittedly, the links grew hottest at a time when Granit Xhaka appeared likely to leave the Emirates and join AS Roma. Apart from the Gunners, Liverpool were said to be interested in the Mali international as well, apparently seeing him as a good candidate to replace Paris Saint-Germain-bound Georginio Wijnaldum.

Bissouma didn’t move anywhere in the end, and speaking to Brighton’s official website, he said he probably didn’t leave the Amex because the time wasn’t right. Nonetheless, he still dreams of playing in the Champions League and winning titles, and as things stand at the moment, that dream seems likely to push a potential Arsenal transfer further from reality than ever.  .......Read more here.....

The saga surrounding the long-awaited arrival of Ben White appears to be coming to a close. The defender is set to undergo his medical with Arsenal ahead of the proposed transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, according to multiple sources.

Released by Southampton in 2014, the 23-year-old thoroughly paid his dues over the following years. He joined Brighton’s Under-18 side and plied his trade on loans for a while, playing for Newport County and Peterborough. He finally broke through by playing a big part in Leeds United’s promotion-winning season in 2019-20, at the end of which the interest in his services went notably up. Leeds made a strong attempt to keep him on a permanent basis, but Brighton rejected their advances.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Brighton and Hove Albion over the proposed transfer of Ben White, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. There was a similar report earlier this month, which came from footall.london, but now the claim has come from a much more reliable source in Ornstein and has been relayed by other outlets, including the likes of Sky Sports and the BBC, as well.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are still in pole position to sign Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion this summer, despite Manchester City also registering an interest in the young defender, according to football.london.

The Seagulls are aware of their inability to keep their best players at the Amex forever, and they’re resigned to selling White if they have to, but only for the right price. That price has always been £50 million, and it is not to be wondered at that the Gunners saw their first offer of £40m rejected.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Ben White for a long time now, and even though several other clubs had been credited with interest in the 23-year-old defender, there were no approaches from anyone but Arsenal.

That seems to have changed now, with the Daily Mail reporting that Everton have been registered as late entrants in the race. Apparently, the Merseyside Blues, having completed the controversial appointment of former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, have held talks with the Seagulls about the possibility of signing White themselves. Further more, Everton are allegedly willing to offer more money than Arsenal have for his services. Manchester City have lately been mentioned as well, with the future of Aymeric Laporte reportedly uncertain due to the Spain international falling behind John Stones and Ruben Dias in the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, and their financial power is obviously second to none in the Premier League.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are getting closer to agreeing a deal with Brighton and Hove Albion for the proposed signing of Ben White, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. The transfer being discussed will see the Gunners fork out £50 million for the services of the 23-year-old defender.

The first offer Arsenal had sent Brighton’s way was rejected, but it was reported straight away that the talks between the two clubs would continue. They have, face-to-face between all parties involved, and a deal is now not far off. The only difference between what Arsenal are offering and what Brighton are demanding at this point is the structure of the payment. The Gunners are proposing £45m upfront with £5m to come potentially through add-ons, while the Seagulls want the whole amount to be guaranteed. Personal terms between Arsenal and White are not thought to be a problem.  .......Read more here.....