Ben White‘s former manager Michael Flynn has waded into the discussion about the much-coveted Brighton youngster’s future – although his verdict isn’t one which is likely to please the Seagulls.
The 22-year-old is wanted back by Leeds after a loan spell last season during which he helped them to earn promotion to the Premier League, although Albion recently rejected a £22m bid from the Whites for the defender.
A report from Football Insider claimed that Liverpool are also interested in the player, although Brighton made their stance clear this week by emphasising that he is not for sale (as per BBC).
However, Flynn – a Reds supporter who managed White during a loan spell at Newport County in 2017/18 – has urged the centre-back to move to Anfield, believing that the coaching staff at the Premier League champions would get the best out of him.
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Speaking on talkSPORT, the Newport boss said: “I’d love to see him at Liverpool. I know Pep Lijnders, the assistant, he’s an unbelievable coach. So I know he will help Ben improve. He’s got to do what’s best for Ben White.
“That could be getting a season in the Premier League with regular games at Brighton, which I think he could do. Graham Potter might want to keep him and bring him on and then sell him for more money after a year in the Premier League.
“That’s a decision for Ben, but for biased reasons, I’d be edging him towards Liverpool.”
Flynn added: “I’m that confident of Ben that I think he can force his way into any team. Let’s not forget, he’s going to have even better players around him, they’ll bring him on. Jurgen Klopp, as a manager, gets the best out of all his players. I can just see him improving again.”
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Flynn makes some valid points in encouraging White to sign for Liverpool, even when his leanings towards the Reds are discounted. Joe Gomez, for example, is a centre-back who went to Anfield as a teenager and has bounced back from a cruciate ligament injury in his early days at the club to develop into an integral part of Klopp’s line-up.
The 23-year-old played in 28 league games in Liverpool’s title triumph last term and had such an influence on the team that ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher claimed that his performances were “on par with” those of 2019 PFA Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk.
The scope for career development under Klopp at Anfield is very much apparent, although it is also worth remembering that White has still only played twice for Brighton’s first team and has no Premier League experience yet.
Therefore, it may be best for his development that he stays put at the Amex Stadium and tries to earn regular game-time under Graham Potter rather than going straight for a club like Liverpool, where the ambition is to win the league rather than seek to stay in it and go from there.
Flynn may have his reasons for persuading White towards Merseyside, and he knows the defender’s capabilities having worked with him at Newport, but it may be best for the player to earn his top-flight corn at Brighton first before trying to make it in the upper echelons of the league. Also, at 22, he still has ample time in his career to earn a move to a Champions League club such as Liverpool.
Brighton fans, what did you make of Flynn’s advice for White about his future? Have your say by commenting below!
