Paul Robinson, the former Leeds stopper, has made in our opinion some pretty outrageous comments regarding Ben White’s proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The Express has linked White with a £35m Anfield switch from Brighton, with Liverpool looking for a strong Dejan Lovren replacement to come in and provide support to Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as the partner of Virgil van Dijk…
However, Robinson doesn’t think White would be a fourth or even third choice option, but an immediate starter – so much so that once he started playing, Gomez and Matip wouldn’t get a look in!
It’s a serious compliment to White, but definitely undermines Gomez, who right now is the best English centre-back around and the first-choice partner of van Dijk for the Premier League winning backline…
“I think he would start straight away alongside Van Dijk. They would be a formidable partnership,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“You see the way that Van Dijk has played with De Ligt for the Dutch national team. He always develops the players around him.
“White would be a shoo-in with Van Dijk to start. He would start the season and you would not get him out. He did not miss a game for Leeds last year.
“He has got a great affinity with Leeds, the club and the fans, but the offer of Champions League football and playing for the Premier League champions may just be too much of a lure.
“You hope that he has a bigger affinity with Leeds but if he went to a club like Liverpool he would get in and you would not get him out again.”
We’d very much like White at Liverpool, but disagree with Robinson that he’d automatically walk into the side.
The spot is Gomez’s right now, and unless he gets injured or hits poor form, that’s how it’ll stay.
The issue with White is the fee. We got around £11m for Lovren, and don’t think we’ll be spending three times that on a replacement.