has picked out Ben White as ’s player of the season so far, crediting the impact the defender has had on Mikel Arteta’s backline.
The Gunners splashed out £50million to bring in White from Brighton as part of their summer rebuild, which also included the signings of right-back and goalkeeper .
Arteta has regularly fielded the same back four in front of Ramsdale, and White has formed a strong partnership with fellow centre-back Gabriel.
White’s good form has been rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for upcoming friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
Speaking on the podcast, Arsenal legend Dixon hailed the 24-year-old for dealing with the pressure of his £50m price tag and improving the Gunners’ defence.
‘I’m a big Ramsdale fan, but I’ll probably go ,’ Dixon said when asked to name Arsenal’s player of the season.
‘You’re always going to get a left-field answer from me because I’d always go “What did the team need when he came in? How big a price tag did he come in for?”
‘The pressure of everyone going, “We’ve paid too much for him”, in a position we were desperate to form a relationship with another player. I think he’s come in and everyone is now talking about him again for England.
‘His season, for the pressure he was under, was huge and he has – not on his own but with the three or four around him – steadied the ship at the back.’
‘He’s had a brilliant season,’ Arteta said of White earlier this month.
‘I think again what he’s done, how quickly he’s adapted, how quickly he’s been able to handle the pressure with the number that he’s wearing, with the price that we paid, with what we demand him to do.
‘Straight away at his age, he’s been great.’
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