Ben White makes 'unbelievable' Arsenal claim as England snub sparks controversy
Morale is still sky high in the red half of north three days after Arsenal's dramatic Champions League victory over FC Porto.
The Gunners booked their place in the last eight of European club football's most prestigious competition after a penalty shootout triumph against the Portuguese giants. Goalkeeper David Raya was the man of the hour, with the Spain international saving two of the four penalties he faced and endearing himself to the Emirates faithful.
Due to Chelsea progressing to the next round of the FA Cup, Arsenal's league game against the Blues - scheduled for this coming Saturday, has been postponed and will be contested at a later date. As a result, Mikel Arteta's men now have more than a fortnight off until their title showdown against Manchester City on March 31.
With that being said, here are all of the talking points emerging out of Arsenal on Friday, March 15.
Ben White signs new deal and sends warning
Arsenal's Ben White has signed a contract extension
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
Versatile defender Ben White has become the latest Gunner to agree a new long-term contract and has warned their title rivals that Arsenal are only getting better.
The 26-year-old has been rewarded for a string of stellar displays this season with a new deal that will tie him to the Emirates until the summer of 2028. The contract does boast an option to extend for a further year, with White's extension coming after Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Gabriel, and Bukayo Saka all also put pen to paper.
After news of his extension was confirmed, White claimed: "I think when those sort of players are getting signed, it shows there is a real ambition about the club and it is something I am loving being a part of.
"I have been on loan three times, I have been places for a year. I think this is the first time I’ve actually settled and known I am not going anywhere in the summer. Being here is unbelievable," he added. "Yeah, definitely. I think if you do look at the ages, it’s going to get better."
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England controversy involving White
Gareth Southgate has explained Ben White's omission from the England squad (PA)
Amid all of the positivity surrounding White and his commitment to Arsenal, England boss Gareth Southgate made a shocking revelation after naming his squad for the Three Lions' upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Southgate claimed that White has asked to not be considered for England duty, telling reporters: "We had a call from Edu last week to say that Ben didn't want to be considered for England squads at this time. It's a great shame."
He added: "There is no issue between us at all and there's also no issue with Steve [Holland, assistant coach], which has been mentioned in articles and I don't like that. I have to accept things are false about me, but I'm not prepared for that to happen to my coaching team. That is not the reason Ben is not with us."
Henry names two sides Arsenal want to avoid
Thierry Henry has identified the sides Arsenal will hope to avoid in the next round of the Champions League (Getty Images)
Arsenal lose eight players and sign three as January transfer window closes
With the Champions League draw on Friday, everyone associated with Arsenal will be keeping a keen eye to see who they will face in the last eight.
Club legend Thierry Henry has discussed two of the favourites in the competition that the Gunners may hope to avoid if they want to progress to the semi-final stage.
The former Arsenal ace explained: "I’m just saying, you can never disrespect anyone in Europe.
"There are two teams there who can be cocky – it’s Real Madrid and Man City, that’s about it. The others, you just take who you can play. Man City are the team to beat still, for me. I know Pep [Guardiola], it’s not how he’s going to take it, I was just putting it out there.
"Me as a player, I’ve been in too many situations to know that sometimes the so-called team who was easy to play against is not the case, you arrive and people think, ‘you’re going to win it easy’, no, that’s not really the case. So the champions can talk – Man City – and then Real Madrid, we already know they have 14, other than that, let’s see what’s going to happen."
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