White signed for the Gunners for a fee of £50m from Brighton & Hove Albion, making him Arsenal’s third most expensive player and the most expensive defender in their history.
He made his debut for Arsenal in the 2-0 defeat against Brentford on the opening matchday of the season, where his performance at the back was criticised by some.
Edu explained that with David Luiz leaving in the summer, he and manager Mikel Arteta knew they had to bring in someone who could strengthen the centre-back position.
The Gunners were prepared to shell out big money to sign a worthy centre-back and Edu insists that is why they did not hesitate in bringing White to the Emirates.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Edu said: “Where we needed to spend big, big money, for me and for Mikel, that was in the centre-back position because we needed someone to fill that position.
“David Luiz was leaving and this was the one where we needed someone to come here and straight away have an impact on the team with the right profile of what we believe for the short, medium and long term.
“That was Ben White.
“That is why we went there and signed Ben White to give the squad what the squad needed.”
White with his £50m price-tag proved to be a contributing factor in making Arsenal the biggest spenders in the summer among the Premier League clubs.
However, Arsenal have endured a poor start to the season, sitting bottom of the table after losing all three matches and without scoring a goal.
