There’s some good news and there’s some bad news.
The good news is, we’ve got a player that can play multiple positions and is doing an incredible job with us. The bad news is; we might not be able to hold onto him for much longer.
Ben White has cut an impressive figure at the back for Leeds United so far this season, putting himself amongst one of the best defenders in the division according to some outlets and being linked with Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester United in the process.
And having had to fill in for Kalvin Phillips in defensive midfield on the weekend, the defender spoke to the club website about how easy it is for him to adapt to his new position whenever he’s called upon:
“We work on it in training, we do drills where I step into midfield, so for me to slot in there now is much easier.”
However, as noted in a recent mailbag article for The Athletic, Phil Hay noted that it’s not a slam dunk that the club are able to keep him at Elland Road in the summer:
“There’s no formal option on him, so Leeds have no right to retain him. They’d have the money to compete with other interested clubs. Brighton, though, are giving the impression that they want him back. Look out for Liverpool.”
Will Leeds be able to keep Ben White beyond next summer?
Yes
No
So whilst White might be the perfect option to fill in for Phillips in the near future, I think that it’s about time that the club start looking at other options to take that place, because we might not be able to rely on him to take that place next season. If Phillips were to be out of the team again, be it through injury and suspension, I don’t think that we should be so quick to put White in that spot.
Marcelo Bielsa needs to start looking at alternative options, ideally using players that are already at his disposal, because he might not be in a position to call upon him next season, regardless of what division we end up in.