Ben White’s reason for ditching England two years ago as Thomas Tuchel demand made

Ben White has made himself unavailable for England for the last two years, but there’s a reason why the Arsenal defender has been reluctant to feature for the Three Lions

One of Thomas Tuchel’s first tasks as England manager may be to win over Arsenal defender Ben White.

White, 27, has been a vital player for Mikel Arteta ever since his £50million arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2021. However, the versatile right-back, who can also play at centre-half, has been absent from the England squad since he left the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup.

At the time, The Football Association said he departed Gareth Southgate’s set-up for “personal reasons”. It’s believed a “barbed comment” from Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland is what upset White, who has since made himself unavailable for every single squad since.

New boss and ex-Chelsea manager Tuchel recently said he will be reaching out to White, who has four international caps for the Three Lions. However, convincing the defender to appear for his country could prove to be easier said than done.

According to The Telegraph, in a group discussion with the rest of the squad, Holland asked Kyle Walker a question about Manchester City’s performance during the 2021-22 Premier League campaign. After White said he did not know the answer when a similar question was posed to him, Holland is understood to have told him it was ‘because White was not sufficiently interested in football’.

White has previously spoken about how he and his family are not huge football supporters and that while he enjoys training and playing in matches, he is not somebody who would watch football on a regular basis at home. In a press conference, Southgate said he received a phone call from ex-Arsenal sporting director Edu, who informed him that White does not wish to be selected for international duty.

It remains to be seen whether his reticence to play for the national team will extend into Tuchel’s reign. The former Chelsea boss, who won the Champions League with the Blues, intends on reaching out to White to see where the player’s head is in terms of representing England once again.

Tuchel said: “Yes, I will reach out to him. It should be a clean start and a clear narrative. It starts from January. I will be in the stadiums from January. I will also not distract the players and they should just know: ‘Okay, the boss is there from January’.

“Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because the schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League.”

Former England captain Alan Shearer has demanded Tuchel fix the situation with White going forward, telling Betfair: “With Thomas Tuchel taking charge in the New Year, I wonder if it is a chance to see Ben White come back into the England fold.

“White’s situation is a strange one, and I for one don’t know the background; we all hear different rumours as to why he left the England camp or why he doesn’t want to be selected, but I don’t know whether they’re true.

“I suspect that Thomas Tuchel will want to have a conversation with Ben or Arsenal and try to find out why he doesn’t want to be selected if that is the case. If Ben doesn’t, then you must respect that, and that doesn’t mean I agree with it, but you have to respect it.

“Thomas Tuchel will likely have a conversation with him and see whether he’s open to coming back into the squad.”

White was in the Euro 2020 squad which reached the final in the delayed tournament – due to the Covid-19 pandemic – in 2021, but did not make a single appearance for the Three Lions. The last of his four international caps came all the way back in 2022, in an international friendly with the Ivory Coast at Wembley Stadium.

He has become an integral player for Arteta’s Arsenal, though, establishing himself as the Spaniard’s first-choice right back. Forcing his way into the England set-up was tricky for White, as he had to compete with Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James.

But with Walker experiencing a slump in form and James suffering from numerous injuries, a route into the England team looks more than possible for White. Moreover, Tuchel’s tendency to play with three central defenders could also offer White a strong chance of getting into the squad if he pivots from his stance.

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