When Ben White first arrived at the Emirates, his signing was scrutinised, and perhaps for obvious reasons. English, £50million, and brought into improve a decidedly leaky backline. 

But like so many of Arsenal's recent recruits, his pricetag has become a distant memory. White's influence on this side is growing, and has been doing so at pace ever since his arrival at the club. 

It hasn't all been straight forward though. On the night of his Arsenal debut away at Brentford, question marks were raised as to his suitability, not least by Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Singled out by the duo for his lack of competency in the air, Neville went as far to say that White would be targeted by rival teams looking to exploit his supposed weakness. But fast-forward almost three seasons, and White has been and remains one of the first names on the team sheet, albeit with a slightly different purpose these days. 

His first season with the club went well from an individual basis, but Arsenal ultimately missed out on their primary goal of Champions League football. But the integration of William Saliba at the start of the 22-23 season posed a serious question to the future of White. 

As Arsenal opened the campaign away at Crystal Palace though, Mikel Arteta was without Takehiro Tomiyasu, meaning that White was forced to deputise at right back. Saliba, positioned alongside Gabriel in the centre, excelled and quite simply, made himself undroppable. Now it was down to White to nail down the right back berth. 

Fast-forward to this season, and there is no doubt where White belongs. He has made the position  his own.

His role in the side is clear, and it is one that brings out the best qualities in him. He has forged a dynamic partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right of the Arsenal attack, often linking with Martin Odegaard to help set Saka free. 

For much of the first half of the campaign though, the effectiveness of this was questioned. Had teams sussed out how to stop Arsenal on that side? Was White carrying an injury that restricted him from overlapping as much as he would have liked? Both could arguably have been factors. 

Great players though invariably find a response, and  since the winter break in Dubai, White and the rest have responded with purpose. White has been an integral part of the eight game winning run that The Gunners find themselves on. He looks rejuvenated and a match for any opponent. 

In the past week, we've seen his attacking output increase with a goal at Sheffield United and two assists in the win over Brentford. 

While White has maintained his overlapping runs, evidenced in his role in the Kai Havertz winner on Saturday, he has added an ability to invert into midfield into his repertoire.

For much of last season, this was a role almost exclusively reserved for Oleksandr Zinchenko from left back. But with the Ukrainian suffering from an injury-hit campaign, Arteta has found solutions through both Jakub Kiwior and White. 

Both will at times overlap their wingers. Both will at times invert into midfield. It is a set up that has made Arsenal all the more difficult to contain. 

More than anything though, White is a football supporter's dream.

He is the kind of man you love if he is in your team, and despise if he isn't. He has an uncanny ability to get underneath the skin of opposing players and fans.

Whether it is celebrating wildly in front of a goalkeeper who has wasted time for the duration of a contest, or casually reminding Spurs supporters of the score, he has endeared himself to an entire fanbase. 

Much has been made of White's lack of interest in football outside of his profession, but this pales into insignificance due to the manner in which he conducts himself in an Arsenal shirt.

He rarely drops less than a 7/10 performance and it's a challenge to think of many attacking players who have got the better of him. He's classy on the ball, but firm in the tackle. Most importantly though, he gives everything he possibly can for the badge. 

He recently stated that there is nowhere else he'd rather be.

Let's hope a new deal is just around the corner.