Rob Holding stepped in for the injured William Saliba for a number of games and that was a good opportunity for the Englishman to prove his worth and silence his critics.
However, he could not fill the shoes of the French defender and Arsenal struggled with him in the team.
Jakub Kiwior eventually took his place, which was a clear sign that Holding does not belong in the current Arsenal team because he is not good enough.
The Gunners seem to agree with this assessment and Football Insider reveals they are now open to cashing in on him.
The report claims Arsenal will listen to offers for Holding when the transfer window reopens as they seek to add new men to their group at the end of this campaign.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Holding has played under the last three Arsenal managers and still does not inspire confidence when he wears the Arsenal shirt.
The defender is an average player and we need more than average players to make progress as we have done in this campaign.
He would do well at a low-level club, and we hope one presents a good offer for his signature in the summer.
Video – Alfie and Rob are back for the summer transfer window
Here is their first clip where Alfie and Rob predict every single Arsenal incoming and outgoing this summer, including fees and potential destinations for outgoings.
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ASSUMING THIS IS TRUE, as I fervently hope, the obvious question arises, why on Earth did this not happen many years ago.
Holding was NEVER remotely anywhere near good enough. I was saying that five years ago, or longer. Just another one in Wengers huge long line of duff CB that he collected with such relish, darn him!
As bad as Pablo Mari would you say Jon?
Perhaps the reason it didn’t happen, say three years ago or longer, is because MA and UE both rated him, darn them?!
They are both MA and UE blue eye boy
Ken this is NOT, I repeat NOT, a so called battle between you and I as to who, between AW and MA, has brought in, or retained, the better defednders.
MA has made many mistakes too in his defenders and both Mari and Holding(retained from AW)are “way sub par” (my new way of saying my now abandoned “dross, or deadwood”).
BTW, they mean exactly the same but sound less stark, less emotive and will,hopefully, keep happy those, who unlike me, prefer more woke expressions!
Please read my other post on this nthread explaining far more, on MA and Edu!
You mean the Wenger that went a whole season undefeated on a shoestring budget ? You mean the guy who kept his team in the top 4 for 100 years straight whilst he was forced to sell his best players ? You mean the genius that created stars as opposed to buying stars ? You mean Wenger who not only introduced real football to England but made coaching holistic? You mean the best football manager in history? Arsenal who?
Just making sure I know who you mean…
Arsenal should not sell Bolugan as he has great potential to cover up for Nketiah.
Gabriel Jesus should be sold instead. He is not as good as the attention given to him by Arteta.
Top quality centre backs are an essential if a team is going to be successful.Saliba and White have the talent to become top notch, but I am not so sure about Gabriel nor Kiwior.Compare this to Man City, who’s success this season is based on no fewer than five centre backs in Dias, Stones, Akanji, Laporte and Ake, to which you can add the best DM in the League in Rodri, who himself played CB for Spain in the World Cup.This season, Pep cannot be accused of throwing caution to the wind and with the quality defenders at his disposal it’s not surprising that he changed from a 4-3-3 system to a 3-4-3 set up which is extremely difficult to break down.If you don’t have a solid defence you will never be successful, and, sad to say, defensively we are still very vulnerable particularly to counter attacks.
Top left footed center back are hard to find one that command a presence with Arial prowess as Gabriel Magalhaes is even harder to come by.
If Holding moves on he will certainly find easier opportunities in the league to apply his trade, want to wish him well , he has been a loyal servant.
Hoping it is true!having said that,i’d want to thank him for his years as a good servant of the club.his behaviour has always been great despite not playing. I’m sure that he’d go with most Arsenal fans best wishes.
Agree and I will remember one match in particular, when Holding and Mertesaker out bullied Costa when we beat chelsea in the cup final.
Been a loyal servant and I wish him well, if, of course, this story is true.
Be careful @Ken1945,you could be accused of putting players before the club!!
Arsenal manager Arteta is still an amateur in his job. How on earth does he see Zinchenko a better defender than Tierney. That is a joke . The Man City manager disposed of his services because he was not good enough period. Likewise Gabriel Jesus. Give Nketia game time to develop and you will see the quality he possess.
With folded hands I beg of some club somewhere to hire this lad. Nice lad but poor footballing skills, utter waste of 2 million GBP, but that money was not someone’s personal money, it was of the club, so who cared then? He can join the “Specialist in Failure’s” hall of fame along with other geniuses and gems – Pascal Cygan, Johan Djouru, Silvestre, Andre Santos, Igor Stepanovs, Mustafi, Squilachi, the other Gabriel, etc.
Meanwhile, we never finished out of the top four, always played in the CL, conceded less goals than our present defence nine times out of fifteen and didn’t come second in a two horse race while bottling it completely this season and doing the same bottling exercise the previous year.
Might be a good idea to start looking at the “specialists in failure players” bought by MA, starting with Pablo Mari and Lokonga, what do you think LC?
@Ken1945,do not mind LC,we all know that he has a very difficult relationship with the truth and facts.
Not every signing can be the perfect signing, I’m sure other top class managers besides Wenger have signed ” specialist in failure ” signings. Regarding Holding, I think for £2 million he has been a decent signing, obviously not top draw, but doesn’t deserve the vilification some here on JA have given him.
Exactly and if he’s “underperforming” why can’t MA coach him to perform to his potential?
Ken I agree that MA and Edu have imported a number of “sub par and “way sub par” players.
BTW, I hope you read my earlier post about why I now use those terms and no longer use “dross” which I realise upsets you, nor “deadwood” either.
But I too, cannot understand why Holding, to my mind a great bloke, loyal and hard working but” sub par” has been kept.
Nor even the”way sub par” Elneny has been extended. I REMAIN a firm MA supporter , but I amhonest and will not hide my belief that MA and Edu, have made some good buys , some so so only and SOME, INCLUDING THE TWO YOU LIST , PLUS VIERA AND TAVARES, essentially wasting KSE’s money.
That MUST change, starting right now.
On Holding though, what comes to mind is “silk purses and sows ears”!
Jon, if your prepared to accept that every manager makes mistakes and you don’t keep listing Wenger signings as the only “sub par” players ever to wear the shirt, then I have no issue with you.
It’s your repeated claim and listing of his players that I see as you singling out AW, rather than looking at the whole picture.
I have never denied that AW bought some duff players, but he still managed to keep us in the top four with said players – that’s where we seem to differ as well.
As I said, if, as the article claims, Holding is underperforming, why can’t they get coach him to over perform?
ken With Wenger I ALWAYS refer to specifiacly CB’s Only a dishonest Gooner would ignore the huige list of duff or shall we say “sub par and way sub par” one she brought in He started with Senderos, Others included such WSP CB’s as Schillachi, Silvestre, Cygan, Stepanovs, Djourou, Holding, Mustafi and the dreadfully WSP Greek wrestler.Also the other Gabriel Paulista
His very few top class ones were those he inherited from Graham. Plus CAMPBELL. Of the decent ones were Toure, Koscielny, and half OK ones, such as Vermaelen, Gallas at a push.
Some, though not I, would also claim Mertesacker.
His WSP ONES OUTWEIGHED HIS TOP CLASS ONES, OVERWHELMINGLY. To be fair, he bought in many top class players in, but hardly ANY CB’;s, which was his long term weak spot.
Finally KEN , MA is a top coach but not a miracle worker Not God Almighty could turn Holding into a fast, top class CB. MIRACLES ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD ARE EXTREMELY RARE.
If Eddie Howe can coach over 10 players to perform and for some to over perform in less than 2 years.you would expect a great manager to do the same with Holding after more than 3, don’t you think.he came to Arsenal with the reputation of being a great coach but so far, he has been very quick to discard players.
MARTY Surely though , when you buy very cheap, unless it proves to be a bargain and of unexpectedly good quality(which on occasions does happen) , even two mill, is not only money wasted but a place in the squad too wasted, that could be filled by a far better player
To my logical mind, that seems the PLAIN TRUTH.
In generel ,in life, as s,in football ,if you buy dirt cheap, there is a price to pay for doing so.
Agreed or not? And if not, then why not?
Agreed, but at the time of buying Holding for £2 mill the club thought that he was going to be better than he actually turned out..hindsight is a wonderful thing. My main point in answering Loose Canon was that every club who signs players have signed ” specialist in failure ” signings, we are not the only club to do this.
That is very true . But it is surely how often and how many of those, that makes or breaks a managers reputation.
2M an utter waste of money,really? considering how little he cost and the years he’s given us, I’d call it a bargain,not only that he is not on crazy money especially compared to Mari,Soares….who can’t even get into the Fulham team.
Jon, if your prepared to accept that every manager makes mistakes and you don’t keep listing Wenger signings as the only “sub par” players ever to wear the shirt, then I have no issue with you.
It’s your repeated claim and listing of his players that I see as you singling out AW, rather than looking at the whole picture.
I have never denied that AW bought some duff players, but he still managed to keep us in the top four with said players – that’s where we seem to differ as well.
As I said, if, as the article claims, Holding is underperforming, why can’t they get coach him to over perform?
There is no doubt that Holding is not one of the world’s great defenders. However, many of the comments above show that many fans are not looking at the whole picture.
There are only so many players you can move out at any given time. The club would need to consider who they could get in to replace him at a reasonable price. Any upgrade would cost a lot of money. Also, Holding is homegrown which is an important factor.