Arsenal have had more than our fair share of injuries this season, and most of them have been to our defenders, especially to Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin who will not be playing again this season. Bellerin, of course, is an established member of the team, but Holding only got his chance when Emery was running out of centre-backs, but he was extremely impressive before he succumbed to our dreaded injury curse as well.
Despite the cruciate injury, it seems that Arsenal have decided to give the youngster a new improved contract, which can only give him a boost in his recovery efforts. The Mirror reports this morning….
Arsenal are set to offer Rob Holding a new deal despite his long-term injury.
The 23-year-old central defender is not expected to return until September after sustaining cruciate knee ligament damage in December.
However, he was in excellent form in the period leading up to his last game for the Gunners and had established a good partnership with Sokratis Papastathopolous.
Boss Unai Emery wants to reward him for his progress and the new terms will reflect his standing in the first team.
Personally I think it is an excellent decision by Arsenal considering that he is still only 23. He has earned the chance to become a long term fixture in the side for many years to come, and we all know how much it costs to bring in top-class centre-backs don’t we?
Admin
This is a very good decision because Rob Holding was beginning to show his worth before he got injured. Of course a player of Holding’s age and potential needs to be tied down to a new long contract before other big teams begin to sniff around. Other players who should be tied down soon are Mateo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Mavropanos and the youngsters like Willock, Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and some promising youngsters. That is the best guarantee to have a stable team capable of challenging the other big teams in the near future.
Yes, good decision on Holding
Guendouzi and Torreira should wait until they prove that they are not one season wonder next season
Nelson has been tied up
Gossip columns are saying that De Ligt is interesting Arsenal, Manc and Bayern/PSG/Barca. He’s won the golden boy award or some equivalent over in Holland, they listed previous winners and there is some seriously illustrious names on there. I think the last defender to win it was VVD ..or else they said that Ligt is the first defender to win it. Haven’t seen him play yet, but he sounds like he’d be better than the guys that Tott got from out that way, simply because of the praise he’s receiving..
If there’s any player that deserves a new contract and a pay rise its definitely Iwobi. Holding was instrumental until that injury but his performance didn’t warrant a new contract and pay rise. Iwobi should be rewarded for his excellent work he put in this season
Iwobi already signed a long term contract at the beginning of the season!
That’s correct VCC.
Holding, Guendouzi, Mavropanos, Nelson and some of the other youngsters are the future of this club. Iwobi has improved a but still no end product or telling final ball.
TH14-Do you seriously believe Iwobi has improved this season?He has played more games but continues to perform like the third-rate clumsy unproductive oaf that he is.
Only YOU could seriously expect a contract extension for the worst player to play at this Club in many a long year.
Showed your comment to a tee pals in the pub with me before we go to the ground.They all LAUGHED AT YOU .
I told you but you just don’t listen do you.If you thought before you wrote it would help you from embarrassing yourself like you do.Its no wonder you can’t get a girlfriend
Look Phil, I don’t expect you to see past that cloud of hatred you have for Alex Iwobi but the truth is he has been a bright spot for Arsenal this season. The ACADEMY PRODUCT has really blossomed under Unai Emery, looking like he is ready to fulfill his promise. Currently Iwobi has emerged as one of the first names on the Arsenal team sheet and its not because he performs like a third-rate clumsy unproductive oaf as you suggest but down to his hard work and dedication which has taken his game to an all new level under Emery.
Fulfill what promise?The same blind alleys he always runs up?The same final ball that is just NEVER delivered.The same goal scoring opportunities that NEVER get converted.
Tell me where the improvement is.There is none.He is still the same ineffective mediocre player that we’ve always had.The fact YOU can’t admit it makes YOU every bit as laughable as that clown Iwobi.
Let’s look at the teams above us and their own wide /attacking players
L’pool-Salah Mane
Citeh-Sane Sterling Mhirez
Mancs-Martial Pierara Sanchez
Chelsea-Hazard Pedro William
Spuds-All donkeys.
Do you believe Iwobi would get into ANY of these lineups ahead of these players?
I would still prefer the Donkeys at 5pur5 than continue with Iwobi.Another game today that he FAILED to deliver.
I am not taking anything away from Iwobi because i recognize his improvements an contributions but Man STFU!! Iwobi deserves a contract because he improved but Holding doesn’t deserve a new contract?
How does your brain work man?
Holding was our best Defender before getting injured but no your Iwobi’s àss-licking self won’t let you see Amy other truth.
I’m starting this think you’re much of a joker than a fan and your comments are always dumb, I haven’t seen any Nigerian who àss-lick as much as you do
True that bro. Rob deserves not only a new contract and pay rise but a huge release clause inserted in his contract. Calm, strong and calculative defender, just becoming our own VVD b4 he got injured. TH14 got it wrong there. John stones was this level when Pep bought him for 50m, so it was a right decision.
Look there Eddie I said Holding was instrumental until he became injured thereby acknowledging his impotence to our team. Now does it make sense to extend his contract while still suffering ACL injury? ABSOLUTELY NO! Not every player has a full recovery after ACL surgery, but the odds are sometimes good. There’s no telling the kind of player Holding is going to be after such an injury. What if he doesn’t return to his pre-injury level of activity after ACL reconstruction surgery, we are now stuck with an overpaid English player.
????a stint in the under 15s would be more fitting
Umm you like him so much but you don’t know he just got a new contract????
Sums him up perfectly Admin.Such adoration is alarming when you think of it.Thete are plenty of things to get yourselfvexciyedcaboutbin this life and he picks IWOBI.He needs to get some treatment
I keep saying it ,but a lot of our fans are so clueless I,m ashamed,they barely know ours players names,rules …’..we are a laughing stock,this morning I read on Twitter this arsenal fan who thought kane,s goal was miles away offside!@steve has to remind /teach him the offside rule no joke,and these people try to advise on team formations,players what s joke!!
TH 14 I have had no email from you as yet. Just in case you are planning it soon, I will not be much available this coming week. Depends how soon you need my help, really.
Hello Jon I have sent 2 emails to you yesterday and I kept wandering why you havent responded yet. Can you check your Junk or spam folders? Maybe it got caught in there.
Hello Jon please confirm upon receipt of my emails. I have just sent out another one. If it doesn’t get to your inbox, it should be in spam or junk. Sometimes it happens, Please check
Eill be great to see Holding wrapped up long-term. Now would love to see whether Mavraponas can be his long term partner but as long as we stay in the hunt for fourth place I can’t see him getting many chances this year.
Holding deserves a new contract, hope he keeps on improving and doesn’t get complacent with the new contract.
OT but a little help please, I want to take my son to the Man U game on the 10th March. I’m a Red member but sure I’ve got 0% chance to get tickets through Arsenal ticket exchange. Have I got no other option than paying £170+/ticket from the ticket stub or similar places?
Yes I’m up for that!
I am always worried about how a player returns from an injury as severe and Holdings. You never know if they physically come back 100%. I am also worried about our tendency to be overgenerous on salaries leading to difficult situations with regards to selling players and signing new players who use big salaries as a reference for their own contract.
Having said that Holding showed promise and if he returns to his former level and then continues to develop we must sign him to a new contract. We can not let any player get near the final year of his contract.
He’s a solid player, no frills no spills, no muss no fuss, he just rolls his sleeves up and he gets on with it. Our defence this season has had a little more bite to it than in previous seasons, thanks to Holding and Sokratis being good, honest, tough competitors.
Bellerin was a big miss, just about everyone knew it was going to be a huge blow, I hope he comes back with Holding before the pre-season is over. Isn’t cruciate just the worst word in the English language, I hate that word, Jack and Abou agree with me.
No, I disagree. I think we should let his contract down to 6 months, putting the club in a really strong position, then start the talks, and I am sure he’ll sign, and that his agent won’t push for a good wage.
Now that’s the Arsenal way! Haha!
I don’t really rate Holding as a player with the class we need to get back to the top. But given he is English, and you never know how Brexit etc. will influence the future rules for the composition of teams, it is probably wise to give him a chance.
Given the huge Kroenke financial handicap and the certain fact that we will not be signing ANY VVD level CB’s while the creature from Hell still owns us, we have NO ALTERNATIVE than to award the highly promising Holding a new and long term contract. That would be shrewd and forward planning; something that has been disastrously absent from our club for many , many years , prior to our new regime taking over. Bit by bit we HAVE to unpick and try our best to rectify the stupid and amateur financial mistakes of the Gazidis and Wenger last decade.
Like you Trudeau, I would love to see Holding and Mav in tandem but due to their injuries it will of course be next season until we see what they are made of.I’m optimistic they will prove to be the best centre back partnership we have had for some time but time alone will tell.It saddens me that Managers these days, with a few exceptions don’t have the guts to give youth a chance.At least Emery was prepared to give Guendousi his head and his decision has been completely vindicated.