Arsenal: Letting Chelsea Win Virgil Van Dijk Battle Opens Far Brighter Doors

Arsenal are allegedly set to battle Chelsea to sign Virgil van Dijk. Letting the Blues win, though, would open far brighter doors for Rob Holding especially.

The summer transfer window is quickly approaching and the rumour mill is indeed churning. In his pre-match press conference ahead of welcoming Leicester City to the Emirates, Arsene Wenger revealed that he is already making plans for how to improve the Arsenal squad for the coming years.

One position that has thought to have been a major need for many years has been centre-half. Even with the established and experienced pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker anchoring the back four, there was still room for improvement, especially in the numbers department.

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Many still believe that investment in a central defender could pay dividends this summer. The £35 million addition of Shkodran Mustafi has not produced the calibre of centre-half hoped for and Koscielny is now the wrong side of the 30 and has struggled to stay fit at times this season, suffering from a mire of niggling injuries. The name that has been most prominent in discussions has been Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk. And for good reason.

Van Dijk is an excellent defender: strong and powerful in the air, adept in the tackle, boasting a good understanding and reading of the game, and all at that age of just 25 with extensive experience of British football. The most recent reports suggest that Arsenal could be set to battle with Chelsea for the Dutchman’s signature this summer, reports that will excite many fans indeed.

I, though, am more tentative about the prospect. That is not because I do not like the qualities of van Dijk. Rather, by not signing him, more doors are opened within the squad already, doors that could lead to a significantly brighter and better future.

That premonition is thanks, in large part, to the recent performances of Rob Holding. Signed for just £2 million last summer from Bolton, Holding has quickly established himself as a rising star within the squad, usurping Calum Chambers as the highly-touted defender, leading Wenger to allow the former Southampton to play out the season on loan at Middlesbrough.

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The now 21-year-old has all the tools to excel at the highest level. But crowding him out with other options, such as van Dijk, will only stint his investment. At some point, there must come a time when young players are trusted to perform the role of the experienced veteran. That time has now come for Holding.