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

By Ross Kennerley

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (L) greets Arsenal's English defender Rob Holding (C) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium in London on September 19, 2020. (Photo by Will Oliver / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by WILL OLIVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (L) greets Arsenal's English defender Rob Holding (C) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium in London on September 19, 2020. (Photo by Will Oliver / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by WILL OLIVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, William Saliba
LYON, FRANCE – MAY 23: William Saliba of Nice celebrating his goal with his teammates during the Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyon and OGC Nice at Groupama Stadium on May 23, 2021 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) /

Arsenal Can Sell Rob Holding With William Saliba Being Homegrown

Naturally, the ideal scenario would have been that Saliba was good enough in the manager’s eyes that he would have nailed down his place in the heart of defence and there wouldn’t need to be a £50m outlay on White.

That ship has sailed.

While he will get his pre-season this term, if he goes out and spends 12 months elsewhere but is still registered in the club’s squad – sides are are also entitled to register an unlimited number of players under the age of 21 – when he then returns he will have been on Arsenal’s books for three years before turning 21 which means he will class as homegrown.

So 12 months down the line, Arsenal will have Saliba with another season of football under his belt, wherever that may be, and Holding who will be 26, English, in his prime and with a greater valuation.

Is it a lot to assume that Arsenal are plotting with a view to bringing a homegrown Saliba into the side for 2022/23 and then selling Holding that same summer for a fair amount of money? Maybe so, but it would be a smart move to balance out what has been a poorly handled career so far for Saliba.

There was talk this summer of Everton wanting Holding but him being valued at £30m, which is quite astounding and frankly ridiculous, but what is for certain is that he will have suitors in the division who are after a solid low-block centre-back with Premier League experience who classes as homegrown.

Next. Leno future hint?. dark

While ideally it wouldn’t have played out this way and Saliba would have had 38 Premier League games under his belt heading into his second campaign with Arsenal, the situation has every chance of leaning this way. If so, it demonstrates a bit of strategy from the Gunners’ part even if the original plan may have dug them a hole in the first place.

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