Arsenal: Rob Holding Became Calum Chambers’ Unwitting Brutus

Arsenal has a wealth of defenders all of a sudden and Rob Holding is a major part of that. But should Chambers regret his countryman’s move?

Arsenal signed Rob Holding this summer for chump change. It was also at a time when people thought that he was the defensive reinforcement so desperately called for. Funny thing is, he probably would have been enough. It was massively shocking that Wenger didn’t settle for ‘enough’.

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Last year just wasn’t great for Gunner’s defenders. Laurent Koscielny was as great as ever but between Calum Chambers, Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker, no one could stay good long enough. Inconsistency and injuries constantly got in the way.

Still, there was a lot of optimism around Chambers and Gabriel and there still is to this day. It’s just that Rob Holding has now entered the picture and, given that ‘defense pairing’ means just two guys, the odd ball out is Calum Chambers.

While he has caught on at Middlesbrough and no doubt eyes a return to the the North London squad at the end of the year, it’s rather curious to hear that Chambers wanted Holding at Arsenal.

Not curious as in skeptical, because it totally makes sense. Chambers is a team player and in Holding he saw someone who could make the team better and make himself better, and that is something worth having.

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It’s curious in that, it feels like Holding became an unintentional Brutus to Chambers.

It’s hard to say what would have happened if Holding hadn’t made the trek to North London. All we know is that he was out there in the starting XI on opening day when the Gunner’s surrendered four goals to Liverpool.

Would Chambers have stayed in North London had Holding not come? I tend to think so. Even though they suited up next to each other, you have to think that Wenger was just waiting to finalize the Mustafi deal before he pulled the trigger on Chambers’ loan.

In a parallel universe where Holding didn’t come to Arsenal, you can bet that it would be Chambers who would be suiting up as Gabriel’s partner.

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But alas, Holding, the younger of the two and, inconveniently for Chambers, the most more developed of the two, is here and holding down a the fort. And it will not be an easy fort for Chambers to break into when that time does come.