Arsenal: Finding room for Rob Holding a requirement this season

Arsenal’s defense is shaping up rather nicely, but it’s still hard to get a beat on Rob Holding. This should be somewhere on the to-do list of this season.

Arsenal put in a lot of legwork this summer to churn out a squad that I think we can all be pretty proud of. The complaints are sporadic at best as most fans just can’t wait to get the season started.

The defense, however, remains the biggest question mark. That’s almost entirely because it’s so hard to tell what we actually have within the club.

Sokratis remains the only centerback purchase, which means that Unai Emery had enough faith in what this club already had that he didn’t want to jeopardize the talent. Meaning furthermore that we are going to get a good look at what is already there so that when the time comes, we can make the necessary adjustments, if any are required.

The questions marks are numerous. Can Shkodran Mustafi cut the mental mistakes? Can Sokratis be as reliable as we need him to be? Does Calum Chambers have what it takes to stretch it out over a season? Over two? Three? A career?

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And then there is Konstantinos Mavropanos. As a Sven Mislintat man, I have little doubts he will make it at the top flight, but the question regarding him is simple – when will he be ready for the big time?

All of these questions are simple and straightforward. They are yes or no answers for the most part.

Rob Holding‘s question is different. Where does he fit? Because he has gone from the next great thing to a peripheral figure in the span of two years. At 22, it’s not like there is any reason to panic, but this year needs to be a defining one for him in that we really need to get a sense of what he is worth.

If he is going to be a starter for the future – or even better, the present – then we need to see that. And not just signs. We need to see actual hardcore evidence that he has what it takes.

If not, can he be a rotational option? That is important too. Rotational options with upside are an important part of the game.

Next: Arsenal's End Of Season Player Rankings

Whatever the situation, as long as we get a good read on him, we should be able to answer that important question of just how much room will be required for him going forward.

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