Arsenal: Rob Holding Will Surpass John Stones In No Time

Arsenal and Manchester City both bought young English defenders this summer, but it’s Wenger, with £45m less spent, who will emerge the winner.

In a world of price tags, you may look at Arsenal’s £2.5m investment in Rob Holding and compare it to Manchester City’s £47.5m investment in John Stones and think the matter is settled. Clearly Stones is better at present and will always be better. That’s how it works right?

Well, as Arsene Wenger kindly pointed out after facing down the transfer inquisition yet again, no, that isn’t always how it works. If Holding had cost the same as Stones, he would be hailed as the defensive answer but since he was so cheap, he can be nothing more than a prospect.

The results on Holding are still small in number, albeit promising. Although we are only two games into the season, Holding already has defensive numbers that are twice that of his English counterpart. So yes, it’s early, but considering the ‘misery’ that people out there are using to refer to Arsenal’s defense, I would say we should actually be pleasantly surprised by our starting options.

Plus, when it comes to future potential, I believe that Holding takes the cake. Two years younger and already going toe to toe with Stones having only been in the Prem for a couple months. This is Stones fourth season.

At Everton and with England as well, we have seen mental lapses by Stones. I’m not saying that he isn’t a talented defender, but to fetch the price tag that he did, you want someone that is unlike anyone you’ve ever seen before. Stones has his upside and his potential, but put up against Rob Holding, I don’t see the difference and, quite frankly, I would prefer Holding. No point in forking out massive money on a product that’s two years older and has done little to prove that he’s worth it.

Holding came from Bolton, Stones from Everton. Holding has just now popped up in our minds, we’ve been seeing Stones for years. Stones already plays for England, Holding doesn’t. Those are the only factors that have made Stones’ price tag hike up the spectrum and Holding’s to remain so low.

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Not only that, but I have to imagine that Everton feels like geniuses. They put that price tag on Stones to ward off suitors because they knew he wasn’t worth that much. The fact that City paid it is like a pleasant surprise and as we will see this year, the Toffees will be be better off without him.

Even if you want to credit Stones’ lack of development to a lack of motivation at Everton, that brings up character flaws that should weigh into his potential as well.

A price tag isn’t everything. I think that we will find that Wenger has pulled out another surprise and when, by the end of the year, Holding is a more prominent defensive presence than John Stones, I will be right here to say I told you so.

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Unless I’m wrong, then I’ll probably just hope everyone forgot that I said this. But I’ll put my faith in Holding. The future of the English defense was once Calum Chambers. We signed him. Then it was John Stones. Now, it’s Rob Holding.

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