Left for £0, now worth £50m: Leeds will have nightmares over "special" 24y/o "warrior" - opinion

When Leeds United signed Ben White on loan from Brighton at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, there was a great deal of pressure upon the central defender’s shoulders.

Marcelo Bielsa had just lost one of his chief stalwarts in Pontus Jansson and instead of replacing the Swede with a likeminded giant, they opted for a modern ball-playing centre-back in White.

He may not have possessed the same gigantic frame but his impact on the team was just as good, if not better than Jansson’s impact in Bielsa’s backline.

White quickly became a fan favourite at Elland Road and come the end of the campaign, he hadn’t missed a game on route to Leeds finally sealing promotion back to the Premier League.

As soon as the transfer window opened, Victor Orta and co launched several bids to bring the defender back to Yorkshire after seeing him exit for nothing at the conclusion of his loan spell.

Three separate offers went in but all of them were rejected by Brighton. That was understandable too as despite playing just a single campaign in the second tier, White already looked Premier League material.

He looked at home in Graham Potter’s side but initially, Leeds didn’t miss him.

Robin Koch and Diego Llorente were both signed as the two parties found ways to live without each other. Yet, in 2022, White is showing why his former side will be having nightmares over their inability to lure him back to Elland Road.

White is now one of the most impressive up and coming defenders in the Premier League, establishing himself in an Arsenal side where he is continuing to take his game to the next level.

The Gunners’ defence has never been a radiant picture of health over the last decade or so but he has transformed the opinions of Mikel Arteta’s