Arsenal’s smart Rob Holding move could pay off with William Saliba

How many central defenders do Arsenal need to have heading into the coming season? As with positions across the squad in general, it’s less than for the previous campaign due to the lack of European involvement, which has raised a number of questions surrounding the current crop.

Namely, William Saliba.

With the decision to withdraw from France’s Olympics squad taking many by surprise, it’s opened up a whole new angle for what may happen to the Frenchman this summer.

For certain he will get pre-season work under his belt with Mikel Arteta and the staff, the question is how long for. A loan move has still been widely tipped to happen, as well as a potential sale due to the imminent arrival of Ben White, but now he has his chance to impress his manager.

If he transfers his Ligue 1 form into pre-season and makes him near ‘undroppable’, then there is no reason why he can’t wrestle his way into the first team in which case a decision will need to be made on Rob Holding.

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Arsenal’s smart Rob Holding move could pay off with William Saliba plan ahead of the summer transfer window possibly seeing the Frenchman loaned out

However, does anyone foresee Arteta making such a call? He trusts Holding and even with a pre-season under his belt the odds will be stacked in the favour of Saliba leaving on loan since Calum Chambers can fill in a centre-back, which it needn’t be said makes the £27m all the more baffling.

But it can be salvaged.

With the loan move Saliba may or may not have, should it transpire then he has to go to a Premier League club. It’s essential if he is to have any chance of making Arteta take real notice him. It’s apparent that experience is key to the manager’s thinking.

In the mean time Holding, who signed a new extension just last January, will sit tight and play backup to the hopeful arrival of Ben White.

That contract was lambasted from many corners of the fanbase as Arsenal ‘settling for mediocrity’ and ‘showing no ambition’, when in fact it was a very smart move on the club’s part. Yes, that does happen sometimes.

His value has been protected at the prime age of a central defender. Now 25 years old, his deal runs until 2024 with the option of a further year.

This is where Saliba comes in as Arsenal have been making plans behind the scenes to ensure even though the Frenchman was denied his chance to play, the club were benefiting in some way. Come next summer, it could all make sense.

Continued…