BBC Radio Leeds pundit Noel Whelan has claimed that Leeds United centre-back Ben White could be worth £15million based on his current form at Elland Road.
White, 21, joined Leeds on loan from Brighton in the summer transfer window and has become a mainstay of Marcelo Bielsa’s defence, appearing in all of the club’s eight matches across all competitions so far this season.
He’s been in impressive form and ex-Leeds striker Whelan reckons that form could see the young defender being worth a lot of money.
“In a couple of years he’s going to be the complete centre half and it’s really exciting we’ve got him. I’m a striker but I love watching him play,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“It’s such a difficult one (to put a price on him). The way he’s playing right now, you’re definitely looking at the £10-15million bracket, £15million probably. It’s still early doors, there’s a long, long season to go.
“All the attributes of the modern-day centre half, he’s got. He likes a challenge, he’s strong and aggressive, his ball distribution is fantastic. He’s somebody if he keeps progressing the way he is, there will be a big figure.”
TIF Tactics
White has been a fantastic signing for Leeds and if there is a chance they can sign him on a permanent basis next summer, Andrea Radrizzani needs to stump up the cash to make sure it happens.
He is young, getting better with each game and great to watch in the Leeds back-line.
According to stats by WhoScored, only midfielder Kalvin Phillips has averaged more tackles per appearance than White in the Championship for Leeds this season while the loaned-out Brighton defender has also averaged the most interceptions per match in the whole second-tier.
White is also good on the ball having completed 87.6 per cent of his passes while in possession.
A lot of people would have thought that losing Pontus Jansson in the summer would be a major blow for Leeds but signing White has, if anything, made their backline a lot more solid.
Would Leeds pay £15million?
It would surely depend on whether or not they win promotion to the Premier League.
Leeds did not spend a lot of money in the last transfer window with Bielsa mainly signing players on loan due to Financial Fair Play restricting what they can do in the market.
It’s a tactic that could pay off in the grand scheme of things and a promotion to the top-flight would surely allow Radrizzani to flex his financial muscles and sign players like White on permanent deals.
Would Brighton accept £15million if it was offered to them? That remains to be seen and will depend on how White performs for the rest of his season-long loan at Elland Road.