Arsenal's signing of Ben White was widely criticised back in 2021 after the centre-back struggled in his first few performances, but his displays this season in the Gunners' title challenge have seen him prove everyone wrong.
How much is Ben White worth now?
Mikel Arteta's side announced the signing of White from Brighton in July 2021, with the former Leeds United loanee joining in a deal worth £50m.
He was criticised by Sky Sports pundits, notably Gary Neville, after a difficult debut for the defender in the 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Brentford in the opening game of the Premier League's 2021/22 campaign, but he is now a hugely important player in this extremely impressive Arsenal side.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor was another who was less than impressed with White's performances last season, despite the 25-year-old averaging a solid 6.78 rating from WhoScored across his 32 appearances in the top flight.
He told Football Insider: “Arsenal’s defence is nowhere near good enough to get top-four. For me, Ben White is very overrated, I watched him against Newcastle towards the end of the season and he was absolutely dreadful.
“He lacks pace, he lacks aggression. Yes, he’s good on the ball but he’s not a defensive midfielder, he’s a centre-half."
While the pundit was wrong about White's overall ability and Arsenal's defensive capabilities, given they sit top of the Premier League with just 26 goals conceded, he was right to an extent about the England international not being a centre-back, as he has starred at right-back in Arteta's side this season following the emergence of William Saliba alongside Gabriel.
This season has seen White earn an impressive 6.85 rating from WhoScored across his 28 top-flight appearances, with one goal and three assists to his name, with a title win certainly on the cards for the young defender, so early into his Arsenal career.
Unsurprisingly, the 25-year-old's emergence as a key player in a side top of the Premier League has seen his market value shoot up during his one-and-a-half-year spell at the Emirates.
When White joined, he was valued at just €28m (£24.7m) by Transfermarkt, but the same website now values him at €50m (£44.1m), which represents a significant 78% increase.
With Arsenal favourites for the title and certain to be playing in the Champions League next season, White's transfer value is only likely to increase further, as he continues to prove those who doubted him wrong.