Fans of Leeds United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which The Athletic’s Leeds reporter Phil Hay shares an article concerning the situation of on-loan Brighton centre-back Ben White.
Following Leeds’ 3-0 thumping of promotion rivals Fulham last weekend – in which Ben White limited the Championship’s joint-top goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic to just one shot on target – Hay wrote an article which touched on interest in White from Manchester City and Liverpool, Brighton’s attempts to sign him to a new contract and Leeds’ desire to make his loan deal with the club a permanent one.
After Hay shared this article on Twitter, fans of Leeds flocked to have their say on the matter, with many indeed calling for the centre-back to make the move from the south coast to Yorkshire.
Turn it down and demand a move to the mighty whites. ?
— Ash Cook (@ashcook4) June 28, 2020
I think he will be a Leeds player next season ,
— leeds are going up (@JLeeds5) June 28, 2020
We go up I’d blow 30m on him straight away #lufc
— (original) Jonny Brown ???? (@Jonnyboylufc) June 28, 2020
It is easy to see why these Leeds fans would like White to remain at their club beyond the end of this season, as the defender’s performance against Fulham was not his first impressive display throughout the club’s push for promotion this year.
A WhoScored match rating of 8.16/10 in Leeds 3-0 victory over Stoke back in August was bettered only by Man of the Match Ezgjan Alioski, a 7.75 rating was enough to earn White Man of the Match against Swansea – despite the Whites losing the game 1-0 – and a 7.64 rating in a 1-1 draw with Preston North End are just some of the fixtures in which the 22-year-old has stood out for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this term.
Overall, the defender has not missed a minute of Championship football for Leeds this season, averaging a 7.06 match rating over the course of his 39 league appearances – the joint-fourth-highest in Bielsa’s squad.
Many more Leeds fans stated their desire for the Whites to do everything they can to sign the defender this summer.
I’d bust the bank for white me, could be one of England’s best CB in 4 years
— jake stevens (@jakestevens99__) June 28, 2020
Surely he can just refuse and say he wants to leave? They can’t force him to stay..
— Nathan Phillips (@NathanP92) June 28, 2020
We need qsi
— jayjay82 (@jwh1982) June 28, 2020
Would be a dream to keep him… whatever that takes..
— Rob (@rob_brown8) June 28, 2020
let’s just hope ben white rejects the new contract
— Sim (@1simmo1) June 28, 2020
While the feelings of the Leeds fans are evident from their comments, it remains to be seen whether White himself would like to remain at the club beyond his loan deal.
However, Leeds’ victory over Fulham has certainly given them a fantastic chance of securing automatic promotion to the Premier League, which would bring with it a windfall of capital, as well making the club a much more attractive prospect for potential arrivals.
Are you confident Leeds can keep Ben White next season?
Yes
No
As such, fans of the club will have to wait until the end of the season to see whether or not their side can go on to finish the job, and then if the club can twist the £4.95 million-rated White’s arm into staying.