This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Ben White has been excellent for Leeds United this season.
It truly is incredible to watch him play for the Whites, and he’s arguably the most important component in the United backline that has conceded just nine goals in 16 league matches so far this season.
Fans and journalists have both named him as the club’s Player of the Season up until this point, and it’s hard to disagree considering the numbers he’s registered. From 16 outings, he’s managed 2.9 interceptions per game and won 3.3 aerial duels on average each match, via WhoScored.
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However, there is a slight negative to his incredible performances as it makes it all the more unlikely that he’s going to remain at Elland Road beyond his initial loan period, and one Leeds pundit believes that he could actually be on the move in January.
What’s been said then?
Noel Whelan spoke to Football Insider about White’s future.
“Marcelo Bielsa has suggested he is not expecting much to happen in January, but that may change,” Whelan said.
“If a big offer of £25-30million comes in from a top-six Premier League club, Brighton are going to find that very hard to turn down.
“There are lots of reasons for Leeds to be worried, as he is not their player and has a mid-season recall clause.
“I can see Ben White going to a club like Man United and then being loaned back to Leeds for the rest of the season. He is an amazing defender who’s easily good enough for the top of the Premier League.”
Works for all parties
While this transfer suggestion may worry Leeds fans, it’s actually not necessarily a bad thing at all.
White leaving in January and being loaned back would not only allow Leeds to carry on with their season without having their promotion push derailed by a recall, but it’d also allow them to stop living in false hope of him staying beyond next summer.
This means that they can get to work on finding a man to replace White at the back, and with six months to do so there’s no reason why Victor Orta and co can’t uncover another gem.
Everybody wins, Leeds get to keep him until the end of the season, Brighton receive a potentially huge windfall and whichever top-six team signs him will be getting a very talented young player.