Holding and NOT Saliba to be the likely casualty of White’s arrival
According to The Times report, Rob Holding is the most likely casualty if Ben White arrives at Arsenal.
There was a huge uproar on social media when news of the Ben White deal being close came out. The Arsenal faithful showed their fear of their prodigal center-back William Saliba being loaned or even sold permanently by the Gunners.
However, it is believed that’s not how the club view things. The noise came from the player’s camp and not from within the club which was a huge revelation. And now that news can go perfectly with a latest update from The Times who stated Holding will be the more probable departure between him and Saliba.
Although Mikel Arteta rates the Englishman and sees him as a positive dressing room member, the young Frenchman’s talent might just be more appealing to the Spaniard.
Saliba is still a highly regarded center-back across Europe, with news of the player being dissatisfied by the treatment from Arsenal was followed by interest from at least seven clubs.
Newcastle United and Southampton in the Premier League have been credited to hold an interest in the France U20 international. Several teams from Italy and France have also been tracking updates.
However, he is expected to start the next campaign with Arsenal, despite his involvement in the upcoming Olympics.
That news too was again not welcomed by the Gunners supporters as reports earlier said that the former St. Etienne man would be given the opportunities in the pre-season. However, Arsenal have never and will never stop ‘any’ player, who has been called up to represent their national team.
Gabriel Martinelli is another instance. The young Brazilian, like Saliba, is desperately in need of a pre-season with Mikel Arteta and his backroom staff. However, if he’s called up to represent Brazil in next month’s Olympics, the London outfit won’t stand in his way.
Although they have been let down for several years, Arsenal fans still panic too much and give in every time they get information, regardless of whether it’s reliable source or not.
Last season, Kieran Tierney was the name whose hat was thrown in the ring. He was linked to Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City and several publications ran the story that Arsenal will be willing to offload the Scotsman.
However, one year down the line, he has signed a new contract and has been tipped to become an Arsenal captain in the near future.
What my personal feeling on these topics is that the news publications love playing with the personal feelings of Arsenal fans. There is no doubt whatsoever that Arsenal are still one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Putting in Arsenal’s name will certainly get them more clicks. What we can do is wait for someone reliable to report it. Thus, keeping the panic button aside and enjoying the summer and the ongoing Euros should be fans’ priority.