Rob Holding Set to Leave Arsenal After Deadline Day Deal with Crystal Palace
Rob Holding is set to leave Arsenal after the club agreed a deadline day deal with Crystal Palace over a permanent transfer. Holding was one of a number of players Arsenal were looking to offload ahead of Friday’s 11pm summer window cut-off.
The 27-year-old centre-back faced plenty of criticism last season when he replaced the injured William Saliba in Arsenal’s starting XI, as the Gunners’ Premier League title challenge fell apart.
Holding is now set to sign a three-year deal with Palace and the south London club will pay around £4m for his services, according to The Athletic.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson spoke openly about his desire to sign Holding in a press conference on Friday. ‘He is a player who has interested us for a while,’ the former England manager said. ‘Dougie Freedman (Palace sporting director) knows him very well. We’re working on the basis that you can’t have too many quality players in your squad. If he was available and it’s a deal that is doable I’d be very happy to work with him. Our squad is not that massive. There is space in the 25-man squad for another player. If it could be Rob we’d be happy with that.’
Holding, who has not featured so far this season, joined Arsenal from Bolton seven years ago and has made a total of 162 appearances for the Gunners.
The move is likely to be beneficial for both parties, as Arsenal look to trim their squad and free up funds for new signings. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have been searching for defensive reinforcements and Holding’s experience and quality should help them solidify their back line.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact Holding will have at Crystal Palace, but one thing is certain: he will be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans for his commitment and loyalty during his seven-year spell at the club.
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