FORMER Albion star Ben White has impressed on his debut for Arsenal.

The centre back left the Seagulls for the London side in a £50 million transfer last week and the move already looking like money well spent.

White has now made his debut for his new side after replacing Rob Holding for the second half of the Gunners pre-season 2-1 defeat against Chelsea.

Despite ending the game on the losing side, the 23-year-old did a lot to endear him to his new teammates and fans.

White made a good stop to deny Blues striker Tammy Abraham from close range. The striker was only five yards from goal, but his goalbound effort was not good enough to beat the Englishman's well-timed stuck out leg.

The defender's best moment came in the 53rd minute when he made an astonishing block to stop Chelsea attacker Hakim Ziyech from scoring a certain goal.

White made a gut-busting run back into the box and managed to get ahead of the Chelsea playmaker before he buried the ball into an open goal.

The Argus: Chelsea's N'Golo Kante (centre) and Arsenal's Ben White (left) during The Mind Series match at Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday August 1, 2021.Chelsea's N'Golo Kante (centre) and Arsenal's Ben White (left) during The Mind Series match at Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday August 1, 2021.

In the 82nd minute, White made his third goal stopping contribution. The defender read a cross-goal pass from Abraham and made the vital interception before the ball reached Michy Batshuayi to tap home.

Throughout his debut, White was comfortable and assured on the ball, completing many passes and rarely losing the ball, something Arsenal has lacked in recent season.

Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the England international after the game.

Watch Ben White's stunning block here:

During his post-match press conference, he said: "I'm really pleased with the condition he came in and the direction we want to take.

"It is a player we've been looking for for years now, and we identified him as a great option for our game model.

"The balance we want in the squad in terms of youth and those who can develop with us.

"It's great recruitment."

Albion, in the meantime, are still deciding how they are going to spend the money brought into the club from White's transfer.

A replacement centre-back could be higher on the list following Dan Burn's injury during the club's pre-season friendly against Luton Town on Saturday.

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