Arsenal: Rob Holding Deal Cheap But Cheerful

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Rob Holding for only £2 million. Such a deal is a no-brainer at that cheap and cheerful price.

As part of being a club that prioritizes the development of youth, Arsenal often bring in a lot of younger players for relatively cheap deals. Some of Arsenal’s best players in recent seasons, players like Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Hector Bellerin were all brought in for either nothing or very little as youngsters and were groomed under Arsene Wenger’s guidance to develop into the great players that they have become.

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That is a strategy that Arsenal have employed not only to great success, but also to great failure. Players like Denilson, Ryo Miyaichi and Carl Jenkinson (though the jury is still out on the latter) were all signed in their youth with the hope that they would grow into top quality players.

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It is a low risk, high reward strategy that has served Arsenal well in the past and Wenger is set to turn to it once again this summer.

There have been consistent rumors linking Arsenal to Bolton defender Rob Holding for some time now, and now they are set to bid £2 million for the future star. The 20 year old won the club’s Player of the Season award and is touted as a potential star center half. That is certainly the type of player that Arsenal should be pursuing this summer, and while a youngster like Holding will never win the Gunners the Premier League, accumulating these players each and every year with the hope that one or two will develop into regular first team players is a strategy that can breed great success.

The development of Holding is far from clear. There are numerous examples of players who much were thought of, only to prove that their quality was nothing more than a mere rumor, sweet nothings that never brought any real success.

Holding certainly has the natural talent to develop into a top player. He is big and strong, has the physical power to handle the Premier League, even at 20, and has proven durability with his time at Bolton playing in the lower leagues.

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That is a prospect who can bring much to the team in the future. He will not have much of an impact on the first team this coming year, and may even be loaned out immediately after signing him, but Wenger is looking at the long term and Holding could certainly have a positive effect on Arsenal’s future, and that at £2 million, is most definitely a risk worth taking.