Ben White insists he will forever be grateful to Brighton for giving him the opportunity to play in the Premier League after he left the club yesterday.

The Seagulls received a club-record fee of £50 million from fellow Prem side Arsenal for the 23-year-old centre back.

But White took to Twitter last night to thank his former club for giving him the chance to show what he could do in the top-flight.

He said: “To All the @OfficialBHAFC fans who have supported me over the years I wanted to say a massive thank you.

“It’s not been easy.

“I joined Brighton 8 years ago with a dream to play in the Premier League.

“This club gave me that opportunity and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

“To all the coaching staff, my teammates and once again the fans, I wish you all the best in the future.

“Thank you @OfficialBHAFC.”

White is now looking forward to the challenge of getting Arsenal back into Europe.

He said: “For sure (I am looking forward to the challenge).

“I have played in the football league in a number of teams on loan and the hunger is still there.

“I am really happy to be at a massive club like this and hopefully I can bring the level of this team up.”

He will wear the number four shirt for Arsenal, which had previously been worn by fellow centre back William Saliba, who has joined Ligue 1 side Marseille on a season-long loan.

White has joined up with his new teammates and could be in line to make his debut in their Mind Series friendly against London rivals Chelsea tomorrow.