Arsenal: Rob Holding Signing Shows Lack Of Strategy And Foresight

Arsenal’s impending signing shows that the club lacks foresight, as they continue to fill the roster with a long list of unproven and undeveloped talent

Arsenal’s impending signing of Rob Holding is just more of the same from Arsene Wenger. Who, in the pursuit of a bargain, seems to fill his lineup with the unproven and the undeveloped.

Related Story: Rob Holding Deal Cheap But Cheerful

In Holding’s defense, he seems a bright, young talent, having played 30 games last season for then-Championship Club, Bolton Wanderers, and being named Bolton’s player of the year. At 20-years-old, Holding has also been complimented by England U-21 manager, Gareth Southgate, who added him to the roster just this past season.

All that said, I just don’t see the point of this signing at all. Arsenal’s defense is already filled to the brim with developing talent. Furthermore, while it’s been well noted that Arsenal are in need of a seasoned centre-back to play in place of the aging Per Mertesacker, that someone, despite his future potential, is definitely not going to be Rob Holding anytime soon.

Where then does Holding fit into the Arsenal roster? Just 18 months ago, Arsenal purchased Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal for £11.3 million. While Paulista might not have been the answer fans were waiting for, the 25-year-old is quick, and certainly has more experience than Holding.

Calum Chambers is also an option, who, on paper, looks nearly identical to Holding. Both are roughly the same age, both are 6’ tall, both are “flexible defenders” that can be used in a variety of defensive positions.

Arsenal has become notorious in recent years for making these kind of signings, and the reality is that they not only result in a lack of depth when injury problems arise, but also in a lack of development for the players themselves.

We’ve seen this in the recent sale of Wellington Silva, a player initially praised as the next Neymar. He spent his entire career on loan, not making a single appearance at the club over a period of six years. We also looks likely to see this in Joel Campbell, who has been loaned to four different clubs since being signed in 2011, and who fights for playing time amongst a long list of mediocre and unproven teammates.

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If Arsenal are going to compete in the present, and develop for the future, they need to pursue a transfer policy that diversifies their talent pool. They need players that can play at the highest level now, and that, in doing so, can push developing players to reach their potential in the years to come.

Not so long ago, Arsenal were a fantastic example of this ideal. The likes of Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas were methodically and strategically selected from a long list of young talent abroad. Once acquired, these players developed under Ashley Cole (who played ahead of Clichy), Freddie Ljungberg, and Thierry Henry, as they flirted with playing time until they became the replacements for those they learned from.

It’s time for Arsenal to re-assume this former strategy. That means having the foresight to know when to take a risk on a developing star, when to spend big on a proven talent, and when to let the old go to make room for the new.

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Perhaps Rob Holding will make a great signing, and, as a fan, I certainly wish him the best. However his arrival, is another indication that Arsenal’s strategy remains primarily focused on one kind of player: The Cheap.