Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur reportedly wanted Ben White last year – could the Brighton starlet replace Toby Alderweireld or Jan Vertonghen?
Any Tottenham Hotspur scouts hoping to get a glimpse of Jack Clarke during Leeds United’s clash with Brentford on Wednesday will have been left disappointed.
Thanks to FA rules, Leeds cannot include more than five loanees in their matchday squad. And Clarke, who joined Spurs for £9.5 million before returning to Elland Road on a temporary basis, was once again the odd man out.
But Clarke isn’t the only member of Marcelo Bielsa’s team who should be in Spurs’ sights. Back in February 2018, the Scottish Sun claimed that the Champions League finalists were keeping tabs on a young Brighton and Hove Albion defender named Ben White – just weeks after he had produced an outstanding performance against them in the FA Cup while on loan at Newport County.
16 months on, White is a Leeds United player these days after Brighton farmed him out again.
But while Eddie Nketiah will dominate the headlines after scoring the winning goal on his home debut against Brentford, White was by far and away the best player on the Elland Road pitch.
It’s easy to forget the former Southampton trainee is just 21 years of age. He reads the game like a seasoned pro and dominated Brentford’s strikers with class and composure all night long. White is one of those rare players who never needs to resort to a tackle; instead, he reads the danger intercepts the ball before the striker has even had a sniff.
Not only that, White is a wonderful passer of the ball. Of course he is. You’ve got to be if you want to be one of Bielsa’s chosen ones.
And when you consider that both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are out of contract next summer, Tottenham will be on the lookout for a new central defender sooner rather than later. White’s displays surely won’t have passed them by.
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