Arsenal latest: Ben White gets Thomas Tuchel message as boss calls star 'best in world'
Football March 29, 2026 02:40 PM

Arsenal fans will be monitoring their players' performances closely throughout the international break. The Gunners' domestic ambitions may have been temporarily paused but Mikel Arteta's squad continue to attract interest.

Ben White grabbed plenty of headlines upon his return to the England fold, having been absent from the Three Lions set-up since his departure from the squad during the 2022 World Cup. The Arsenal defender, who was called up as injury cover, played for 20 minutes in the 1-1 stalemate with Uruguay on Friday evening.

The 28-year-old appeared to have grabbed the decisive goal with 10 minutes remaining, only for a late penalty to be awarded, which Federico Valverde duly scored. England supporters controversially jeered White as he came on and again when his name was read out as the goalscorer, prompting manager Thomas Tuchel to offer advice.

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Elsewhere, an international manager has weighed in on whether David Raya is the best goalkeeper in the world. football.london takes a deeper look at the stories surrounding the Gunners.

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Ben White gets Thomas Tuchel advice

England manager Tuchel came to White's defence after opting to hand him a place in his squad for the Uruguay fixture. The 52-year-old acknowledged that White had been booed by portions of the crowd and offered a straightforward message: "He needs to take it on the chin.

"We will always protect him and hopefully we can put it behind [us] because he is ready to write some new chapters and we are ready to give him the chance, so hopefully everyone can move on and accept it."

Addressing the Arsenal defender's circumstances, the England manager continued: "I heard that he was booed. I didn't hear it actually on the field because I was involved in the changes and instructions, so I didn't hear it so I think then it cannot be the majority.

"There were some boos and some mixed reception for him, which I am disappointed about because of course we protect our players and he was excellent in camp and he deserved to come on. He deserved also to start and got us almost the winner, but I also understood that it happened to other players before here."

Arsenal star 'best in the world'

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has suggested David Raya doesn't receive enough recognition in his homeland, despite being one of the best goalkeepers in the world. While Raya plays a pivotal role for Arsenal at club level, the Gunners star is somewhat overshadowed in Spain due to Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon being the national team's number one.

"It would be unfair if we didn't value Unai's quality, class, career, and professional experience. It would be absurd for me to have to come here and reaffirm it, just because he's Unai Simon," De la Fuente said about Euro 2024 champion Simon. "When a goalkeeper is at this level, you have to respect his standing and his career.

"Besides, we have David Raya, who I'm eager for you to ask me about. In England, they consider him the best goalkeeper in the world, and here nobody talks about him.

"The same goes for [Barcelona 's] Joan Garcia and [Real Sociedad's] Alex Remiro, let's be fair. But Unai Simon is indisputable. The others have a lot of talent and class, but everything in its own time."

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