Arteta’s most expensive defender ever now looks finished at Arsenal

“Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles”, is one of the most famous lines in English football history and it is the very mantra that Mikel Arteta has used ever since arriving at Arsenal.

If there are any naysayers who believe that Sir Alex Ferguson’s comment was by chance, then his 13 Premier League titles should ease any of those doubts. It is a comment which still rings true to this day and more than it has done in several years with Arsenal on course to secure their crown.

An era of Anfield thrashings and humiliations at the hands of Manchester City is long gone in North London. In its place is an era which could be centred around a historic achievement by the end of the current campaign. But how did Arteta transform Arsenal’s backline?

How Arteta transformed Arsenal’s weakness into their biggest strength

When Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December 2019, he looked around the squad and saw the rubble of a gradual collapse. From Invincibles, the Gunners had become disastrous. Even Champions League football seemed beyond the realms of possibility.

Holding the captain’s armband was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who forced his way to Barcelona under much scrutiny three years later. At centre-back was, on paper, an experienced World Cup winner and a Champions League winner. On the grass, it was an ageing, mistake-prone pairing of David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi.

From there, it seemed impossible that Arsenal would one day become arguably the best team in Europe, largely thanks to their defensive foundations.

As soon as Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba formed their partnership, Arsenal reached the level they had been craving. They have been transformative as a duo.

But it’s also no surprise that the Gunners now lead the Premier League title race with the likes of Jurrien Timber alongside that duo. Like the centre-back pairing, the right-back has been the best in his position all season – leaving previous Arsenal competition behind.

Arsenal’s most expensive defender looks finished

The form of the Dutchman hasn’t come without consequences for another one of Arteta’s defenders, however. As Timber has thrived, Ben White has fallen down the pecking order.

In many ways, it epitomises his Arsenal career that when Arsenal had to replace the shattered Timber against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, White missed out through injury.

In his place instead was Cristhian Mosquera, whose performance has created another problem entirely for White. Indeed, the Spaniard was immense when he came on, notably winning all five of his duels and losing possession just three times from his 18 touches of the ball. He locked down the game superbly well.

As a result, when he returns from injury, there’s every chance that he’s not even the second-choice right-back at The Emirates.

Indeed, the 28-year-old’s game time has decreased with every season to the point that he’s yet to break 1000 minutes in the current campaign.

Given that he initially arrived for a reported £50m from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021 – becoming Arteta’s most expensive defender in the process – that statistic is incredibly disappointing to see.

As useful as his versatility is, Arsenal are more than covered in White’s positions. For both his sake and their own, the Gunners should sell the former Brighton man this summer and finally cash in on one of their players.

For all the credit they deservedly get for their recruitment, there’s no denying that Arsenal need to do a far better job when it comes to profiting on players.

There’s already been rumours of Everton’s interest in White ahead of the summer transfer window, and Andrea Berta should pull the trigger if that interest results in an offer.

Be it because of injuries, the form of Timber or the emergence of Mosquera, White is done at Arsenal.

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