Arsenal: £50m star now in line for 'wage increase' at the Emirates

Arsenal will offer a "wage bump" to a £50m star at the Emirates Stadium.

Posted Thursday, October 05, 2023 by givemesport.com

Arsenal could provide defender Ben White with a "wage bump" in line with his performances at the Emirates Stadium, as journalist Ben Jacobs provides GIVEMESPORT with a contract update from the capital.

Head coach Mikel Arteta hopes to keep the spine of his Gunners squad tied down to long-term deals in north London.

Arsenal contract news – Ben White

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are working to extend White's contract at the Emirates Stadium after recently tying captain Martin Odegaard to a new deal. The same reporter says that the Gunners are happy with his performances and attitude and that advancements on fresh terms will occur soon.

White has become a key player for Arsenal since he arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion for £50m in the summer of 2021. The 25-year-old was signed as a centre-back but is comfortable operating as a right-sided defender, making the role his own during last term's title race with Manchester City.

Arsenal: £50m star now in line for 'wage increase' at the Emirates

Ultimately, Arsenal were pipped to the Premier League by the Sky Blues, who would become only the second English side to win the treble, following their league triumph alongside FA Cup and Champions League successes. However, Arteta's young side earned plaudits, having finished fifth in the Premier League the previous season and aim to go one better this term, adding figures such as Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and David Raya to their squad.

Jacobs has already told GIVEMESPORT that White will be offered an improved deal at Arsenal, having proven himself to be a key cog in Arteta's backline. The former Leeds United loanee expects to be a regular again this term, especially following Jurrien Timber's anterior cruciate ligament injury, sidelining the Dutchman for most of the season. And a new deal could solidify his importance to the side, following in the footsteps of Odegaard, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka.

White's 'wage bump' will be consistent with his importance to the side – Ben Jacobs

Jacobs claims that Arsenal aim to make players feel incentivised and valued with their new deals rather than panicking over the remaining time left on their contracts. The journalist told GIVEMESPORT:

"Rather than scrambling to extend due to a worry of an exit or that there's not enough time left on the contract because three years is a long time left on the contract. But contracts are not just about length. They're also about making players feel incentivised and valued. As I said before, because Arsenal have renewed so many names, and each of those renewals has come with a wage bump, everybody who is important to the project that hasn't had a wage increase sees the club are spending and increasing their wage bill and is well aware that a lot of these new signings have come in on big money as well.

"It's just important for Arsenal's chemistry and squad dynamic that some of their top performers and most valued names aren't left out in being rewarded. I think that that's going to be the case with White, and Arsenal will want to move to tie him down for a bit longer but also to make sure that that wage bump is consistent with the performances that he's put in and the value that he's deemed to have to the Arsenal project in the long term."