Arsenal open to Rob Holding sale after Ben White transfer

A summer transfer window of significant overhauling at Arsenal was not expected to be focused so heavily on the centre-back department, where all the talk around Ben White’s imminent arrival has asked questions of others’ futures.

Hats off to anyone who predicted Arsenal would spend £50m on any player this summer transfer window. And whoever the person was who thought they’d part with such an outlay on a centre-back, could they please provide the lottery numbers while they’re at it?

David Luiz departing after his contract expired was the right move on the club’s part. A new injection of life was needed in the squad with the old guard stepping aside to make way for the newest Arsenal cycle, one of whom looks set to be White.

William Saliba was hoped to be the natural replacement for the Brazilian. His finest quality is his distribution, as with Luiz, and he arrives (returns?) with the added benefit of mobility, pace and development potential.

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Arsenal open to Rob Holding and William Saliba sales once Ben White is signed for £50m in summer transfer window

With his future shrouded in doubt over the Brighton man’s soon-to-be arrival, the disappointment that follows on from a £27m signing going more than two years without kicking a ball for the club is unavoidable. Whether he’s ready to earn his stripes or not, not to be given the chance and the handling of his time in north London has been poor management all round.

When there are four central defenders at the club – five prior to Konstantinos Mavropanos’ return to Stuttgart – and a club-record fee for a defender is being readied, someone will invariably miss out.

Expected to be Saliba to moved on, The Times continue with those developments and state he is now expected to either leave on loan or permanently this summer.

However, there is more. Indeed, Rob Holding is now ‘likely to be made available for sale’ despite signing a new deal running until 2024 just six months ago.

Ahead of the Community Shield clash with Liverpool at Wembley the news broke of a deal to join Newcastle on loan being all-but finalised, with that penalty shootout success due to be his final Gunners match before making the journey north.

Mikel Arteta eventually pulled the plug on that deal, largely over a lack of confidence in Saliba to fill in, and Holding would go on to play the third most outfield minutes of any player in the squad last season.

Now open to a sale this summer, Arsenal might just be doing something very un-Arsenal like. In other words, being smart.

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Selling Rob Holding Would be Smart Business From Arsenal

‘Arsenal’ and ‘smart’ are not two words often found conjoined in any given sentence in regards to recruitment.

Having signed Holding to a new long-term deal in January, the uproar among supporters centred around the usual argument of settling for mediocrity.

Contracts in football can often mean very little. Just because fresh terms were agreed, it doesn’t imply Arsenal were going to plan with Holding in the heart of defence every week for the coming three years. Protecting player value is something this club hasn’t done well, or at all, for years and in this instance that was the caveat to the 25-year-old’s new deal.

But then again, Arsenal don’t do things too cleverly. Not like this. If they knew six months down the line that they wanted to sell Holding and bring in an upgrade, which White unequivocally is, then they’ve done so in a wise manner.

A weekly 6.5/10 defender, Holding is someone who can push up to a 7.5 and drop down to a 4. Almost always solid and fairly reliable, he will never be more than just that, but he isn’t atrocious by any means.

Excelling as a low-block defender who can get in your face, win duels and head away balls pumped into the box with ease, Arsenal seem to be gravitating away from that.

Finding a buyer for Holding shouldn’t theoretically be too tough. He’s richly Premier League experienced, homegrown and is most certainly not a bad defender – the Englishman is actually a very strong defender, he just doesn’t add anything else. Selling will depend on the Gunners’ valuation but if he does leave it will almost certainly be within the division so there is scope to make a decent profit on his £2m arrival on 2016.

It would mean it’s one in and one out for the homegrown quota, a move that would be supplemented in a years’ time as Saliba will qualify for that once he has spent three seasons with an English team before turning 21 years old.

Should Holding be moved on, what would it mean for Saliba?

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William Saliba Would Take Rob Holding’s Place at Arsenal

Holding departing would balance out the centre-back department perfectly. With Gabriel and Pablo Mari stocking up the left side, Saliba, who can cover either, and White on the right with Calum Chambers able to slot into central defence, the numbers stack up.

It’s essentially a 38-game season with the occasional domestic cup dabble here and there, where you’d expect Mari and Saliba to play most often, although with cover for injuries either have every chance of playing in the Premier League.

This is all, however, on the basis that Holding is the one to leave. Mari should be easy enough to shift upon White’s arrival with Spain and even Brazil more than happy take him on, even if a financial loss would be expected. Yet Arteta’s desire for a left-footer on that side means Holding and Saliba are the most likely.

All the reports over the past few days lean heavily on it being the Frenchman who will depart in some capacity this summer, and if so Holding will undoubtedly stay at the club. There is absolutely no need for further surgery in that department with vital work needing to be done elsewhere.

With the clubs interested in Saliba’s signature hitting into double figures with everyone from Southampton to Strasbourg eyeing him this summer, the number of suitors makes Arsenal’s job much easier.

Were there to be an English side making early inquiries for Holding, however, then the profit that would be made on his sale would surely entice more than any hit that would inevitably come from parting with their £27m man.