Arsenal fans think Gareth Southgate has made "disgraceful" call with latest England squad

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Arsenal fans have slammed Gareth Southgate after he made the “disgraceful” decision to snub Ben White in his latest England squad.

The Gunners beat promoted Watford 1-0 at the Emirates on Sunday to extend their unbeaten streak to ten games and register a seventh clean sheet during that run.

Defender, White, who joined for £50million from Brighton in the summer, put in a Man of the Match performance as Arteta’s men climbed up to fifth in the Premier League table.

England manager Southgate announced his latest squad on Friday ahead of The Three Lions’ two remaining World Cup qualifying fixtures next week.

One point from the games against Albania and San Marino will secure England’s passage to next November’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, Southgate’s decision not to include the impressive White in his latest squad looking to guarantee tournament football has led to widespread backlash from enraged Arsenal fans.

After White’s dominant display against the Hornets which saw him boast the most touches (101), most passes (81), most clearances (6), most blocks (3) and most interceptions (2), Gunners fans aired their frustrations at Southgate’s decision to overlook the 24-year-old, with one fan labelling the call “disgraceful”.

The Arsenal fan tweeted: “We played amazing today! 1-0 didn't do us justice! We seem much less porous and Ben White being such a proactive defender has helped a lot! You can tell many didn't watch him last season by their short-sighted judgements in August. Disgraceful Southgate didn't call him up.”

Should Ben White have been included in the Gareth Southgate's latest England squad? Let us know in the comments section below.

The sentiment was shared by a number of fellow Gunners who voiced their disbelief at White’s snub given his recent form.

Another user posted: “Wonder if Southgate was watching that performance by Ben White. He has been playing like this for weeks now. Totally worth the £50m we spent, hope this helps.”

One Arsenal supporter added: “We should give Brighton another £50m for Ben White, he’s that good. 6 clearances, 3 blocks, 2 interceptions, 9 duels won and a big influence in that goal scored. Gareth Southgate doesn’t know what he’s missing!”

Instead of selecting White, Southgate opted for Wolves’ Conor Coady, Manchester City’s John Stones, Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings as his four main centre-back options.

Fans were also quick to jump on the fact Mings, who has fallen out-of-favour in a struggling Villa side, was selected ahead of White, accusing the England manager of favouritism.

One enraged fan wrote: “Tyrone Mings isn’t even starting for an Aston Villa side near the relegation zone… yet he’s called up over Ben White. Gareth Southgate’s Arsenal agenda confirmed.”

The selection snub means White, who was an unused member in the England squad that finished runners-up at this summer’s Euro 2020, will have to wait until 2022 to earn a spot back in the England set-up and add to his two caps.

  • Gareth Southgate
  • Premier League
  • England Football Team
  • Arsenal FC

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