It was not at all easy for Leeds United to find an immediate successor of Pontus Jansson who earned a cult status among the fans before completing a surprise switch to Brentford this summer. The Bees, meanwhile, are struggling lower down the standings, but the Whites are pretty much in the race to register a long-awaited Premier League return despite recent slip-ups.
The mastery of Marcelo Bielsa has uplifted Leeds’ game, and the club deserves appreciation for roping in Ben White on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion who eventually emerged as the perfect replacement of the Swedish centre-half. The 22-year-old impressed in the lower leagues but attuned to the demands of Championship football quite effectively in no time.
Ben Parker, the homegrown prodigy who made 55 first-team appearances for the Whites early in his career, has hailed the Englishman for his impact and labelled him as ‘first-class’ for emulating the success of Jansson in the heart of the backline.
“Pontus is a good player, he was a big character, fans liked him. So when we were looking around at the options, we just had Ben White coming to the club, a young player who had been out on loan a couple of times. For him to step up and be an upgrade on Pontus speaks volumes for him personally.”
Told the 31-year-old (as cited by the Yorkshire Evening Post) who now works for the club’s in-house broadcast operation.
What Ben White Has Brought In Leeds United Defence
Although Jansson was lauded for his physicality and robustness, White is more of a ball-playing defender who is calm and composed while surging forward from the deep to help in creating quick counter-attacks.
He is timely with his tackles, knows when to use his physique and is always in the right place at the right time to offer rigidity and resilience at the back. His game suits the Argentine’s philosophy and therefore, has become such an integral figure despite being in his early twenties.
Where Does His Future Lie?
The supporters would love to see the youngster roped in permanently upon completion of his season-long loan spell. But the Seagulls would not let their prized asset leave for cheap and might even keep hold of him to challenge and cover Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy.
His upsurge must have drawn the attention of Graham Potter as the Brighton boss would love to promote White in the forthcoming future to fit in his progressive coaching methods that earned Bielsa’s plaudits while at Swansea City last season.
