Arsenal expect injured star back for pre-season

Ben White has made encouraging progress after the knee injury that ended his season, as speculation over a transfer refuses to disappear.

Arsenal expect Ben White to be back in pre-season training with the defender making encouraging progress in his recovery from the significant medial knee ligament injury that ended his 2025/26 campaign.

White suffered the injury against West Ham United in May, ruling him out of the Champions League final and ending his hopes of representing England at the World Cup.

Arsenal said at the time they were targeting a return in time for the club’s pre-season preparations, and the defender is understood to be on course to meet that objective.

The 27-year-old’s future has been the subject of sustained speculation in recent months, with reported interest from Everton and Crystal Palace.

His injury was said to have complicated the situation, but Gary Jacob of The Times has reported that White was “unlikely to take a drop in level” this summer.

As the closing months of the 2025/26 season unfolded, White increasingly appeared to be a player who could leave Arsenal during the transfer window.

With July half done, however, reports have become far less definitive over his future.

A return to full training during pre-season could strengthen interest from potential suitors, but any approach before White has demonstrated his fitness is unlikely to match Arsenal’s valuation.

If White is also reluctant to take a step down, the number of realistic options becomes even smaller.

As things stand, a summer departure looks less likely than it did last month, and there aren’t many who would be sad about that – as long as Arsenal can get, and keep, him fit.

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