Wright-Phillips explains why White is a better signing than Varane

Former Premier League star Shaun Wright-Phillips has explained why he believes Arsenal 's signing of Ben White is better than Manchester United 's move for Raphael Varane.

The Gunners spent most of the summer chasing a deal for the Brighton defender before finally agreeing to a £50million fee with the Seagulls.

United similarly made Varane one of their top targets of the window after contract talks between the Frenchman and Real Madrid broke down.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made bringing in a new partner for Harry Maguire in the heart of defence one of his top priorities for the summer transfer window.

Shaun Wright-Phillips has explained why he thinks Arsenal's move for Ben White is better than Man Utd's deal for Raphael Varane ( Image:

Sky Sports)

The man he identified was Varane, who has enjoyed an incredibly successful 10 years in the Spanish capital since moving to the club from Lens.

The Frenchman quickly became a regular in the Los Blancos defence, developing a partnership with Sergio Ramos.

He helped Madrid to win three La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues during his time at the Bernabeu.

But amid challenging financial conditions, Madrid had allowed his contract to run down, with Varane entering the final year of his deal this summer.

With club president Florentino Perez unwilling to match Varane's wage demands, the Frenchman decided to push for an exit.

United quickly emerged as the frontrunners, those negotiations with Madrid over a fee appeared at one point to be at risk of stalling.

Luckily for Solskjaer, a fee in the region of £40m was eventually agreed, with the Frenchman's move to Old Trafford now imminent.

Arteta had also prioritised signing a defender in the summer window, with White emerging as his main target.

Which move do you think was better - White to Arsenal or Varane to United? Comment below.

White had been Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's top target for the summer window

The England international enjoyed a successful first season in the top-flight last year, becoming a regular in Graham Potter's team.

He capped the season off by being called up to the England squad for Euro 2020, making his international debut in the warm-up win over Austria.

But despite White's relative inexperience compared to Varane, former Chelsea winger Wright-Phillips believes that the 23-year-old is exactly what Arsenal need.

"One thing I think Arsenal missed was a defender like him. He's got old school mentality but he can play football as well," he told talkSPORT.

Wright-Phillips then surprisingly went on to state his belief that Arsenal's signing of White will turn out better than United's move for Varane.

"I personally do. I know it's a big statement but White is used to the Premier League and he is used to defending a lot for Brighton week-in-week-out," he added.

"Varane is coming into a whole new league with immense pressure. At this moment, I would definitely say Ben White [is the better signing]."

Varane is understood to have completed his medical at Old Trafford, with confirmation of his arrival expected shortly.

White meanwhile was signed in time to face Chelsea in a pre-season friendly defeat before he then started in a loss to Tottenham in Arteta's side's final friendly of the summer.

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