Ben White’s agent defends Arsenal star over England snub and says ‘people don’t know what’s going on in personal lives’
BEN WHITE’S agent has urged people to “be kind” after a mentally challenging few weeks for the Arsenal star.
The Gunners right-back has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career to date, playing a crucial role in the club’s Premier League title charge.
Two goals in a 5-0 thumping of Chelsea on Tuesday night took the 26-year-old’s tally for the Prem campaign up to four – his best ever return.
However, White came under immense criticism for his decision NOT to be available for England selection last month ahead of their friendlies with Brazil and Belgium.
In the weeks since, he has been victim to cruel chants from the stands during away matches, in particular at Brighton and Wolves this month.
White left England’s camp at the Qatar World Cup in November 2022 due to personal reasons, with later reports alleging it was due to a disagreement with Three Lions assistant coach Steve Holland.
But White’s agent Alexander Levack has now spoken out in support of his client, asking people not to judge or criticise decisions without full knowledge of the situation.
Levack posted on LinkedIn: “I feel compelled to write this today after such a great performance last night [against Chelsea], and all season for that matter.
“For the past 4 weeks Ben has been in the press and media a great deal in that time with a large percentage of that being negative.
“Whilst I appreciate that Ben is in the public eye which brings its own connotations and leaves you open to criticism, I wanted to make the point that every elite performer, whichever field that may be, is a human being who has the same feeling we all have and experience good and bad.
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“No one knows what is actually going on in one’s life so I really believe people should think before making a judgement or criticising these elite performers in public.
“Ben has shown unbelievable robustness and strength throughout this adverse period off the pitch and has blocked out all the noise and has performed incredibly well on the pitch, in a situation where many others could have and would have wilted.
“Ben has an incredible temperament and attitude which allows him the ability to navigate through his working and personal life.
“I suppose the main message is be kind to people as you do not have the full facts, which in Ben’s case neither Ben nor I wish to vocalise publicly, and do not know what is going on in people’s personal lives so again please be kind.”
After White’s decision to stay away from the England set-up ahead of this summer’s Euros, boss Gareth Southgate explained: “He’s clearly playing very well and has been for a long time.
“But he’s not the first player who, at certain times, hasn’t wanted to be available for selection.
“I’ve always tried to protect those players because I always want the door to be left open, even though on lots of those occasions I’m the one who gets it in the neck for not picking them and people don’t know the reasons.
“There’s no issue between us and there was never any issue with Steve Holland. That has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.
“People can talk about me and I have to accept that things get said that are false, about me. For whatever reason in this role, you have to stomach that.
“But I’m not prepared for that to happen to a key member of my coaching team. That is not the reason Ben is not available for selection.”
Mikel Arteta's striker shopping list
By Jordan Davies
ARSENAL are stepping up plans to sign a world-class striker in the summer after their Champions League heartbreak.
Mikel Arteta splashed out £204.5m last summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
But the Spanish manager accepts he needs a proven goalscorer to take the club to the next level.
And here are the players he is looking at to get the Gunners firing:
BENJAMIN SESKO (RB Leipzig, value £40m-£45m)
One for the future at 20 years old. Scored 16 goals for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and the Slovenian has carried on that good form in Germany with Leipzig this campaign.
VIKTOR GYOKERES (Sporting Lisbon, value £60m-£80m)
Been scouted several times this season. The Swedish striker, 25, is more of a traditional No 9 so may not suit Arsenal’s demand for flexibility but would bring a physicality that boss Mikel Arteta craves.
ALEXANDER ISAK (Newcastle, value £75m-£85m)
Impressed in his first two seasons in English football. The Swede, 24, has the pace and finesse to match his finishing ability, and Eddie Howe’s Toon may need to sell to balance the books this summer.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (Bologna, value £45m-£50m)
Dutch wonder is attracting the attentions of clubs across Europe. At 6ft 4in the 22-year-old forward would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League and already has an eye for goal.
XAVI SIMONS (RB Leipzig, value £70m-£80m)
An incredible talent in the Bukayo Saka mould, currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The future of the Dutch attacker, 20, depends on how much money his parent club want to make from him.