Arsenal: Rob Holding let down destroys Calum Chambers sale

Arsenal witnessed a right stinker from Rob Holding, which is no reason to panic, but it is a reason to keep a firm grasp of Calum Chambers.

The preseason is what it is – a chance to get match fitness. You don’t read into the results, you try not to read into player performances too much, but if you can glean anything from the latter, then by all means. I mean, Reiss Nelson is a stud, and that doesn’t take much reading into. And that said, there is one major thing Arsenal should glean from their 45 minutes of one match in preseason.

Rob Holding was abysmal against Benfica. If it wasn’t receiving the ball with acres of space and giving it to someone else, all while under no pressure, he essentially failed at it. Under pressure he looked panicked, rushed and forced.

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His passing was all over the place and his presence on the ball was shaky at best.

All of that shouldn’t really matter at all. It was 45 minutes of a preseason match. But there should be one huge reminder from it all, and that reminder is simple. Despite how stoic and unstoppable Holding looked last season, the fact remains that he is young, and human, and therefore prone to mistakes.

Just like everyone else.

The point is that to sell Calum Chambers is pretty much to throw all your eggs in Holding’s basket, which is a risk that doesn’t need to be taken.

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Especially when considering that Calum Chambers came on in the second half and absolutely swept up the position that Holding had just splattered all over the place. Chambers looked like that same defender that held down an assaulted Middlesbrough defense and showed that he is every bit as good as Holding.

Plus, seeing as how they both had very similar preseasons up until this point, it must be said that Chambers looks the more ready.

All I’m trying to say from this is that Holding’s glaring humanity allowed Chambers to prove how vital he still is. With a back three, there is so much room for creativity. Selling off someone so young and talented, like Chambers, is just plain stupid.

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Don’t read into it anymore than that. Holding is still a stud and a huge piece of the future, but Chambers is too. And hopefully seeing their contrast helped remind anyone who needed reminding of that.

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Particularly Arsene Wenger, who will be proven a massive fool if he sells the lad.

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