Rob Holding completed a move away from Arsenal this past summer, joining Crystal Palace, and Ray Parlour has backed the decision.
According to Arsenal legend Ray Parlour on talkSPORT, Rob Holding will do well after leaving the club. The 27-year-old defender completed a £4 million transfer to the Eagles, and he could prove to be a bargain for them at that price if he manages to hit the ground running.
Holding struggled for regular game time at the North London club after joining them from Bolton Wanderers. So, he needed to leave Arsenal permanently in order to get his career back on track. And Crystal Palace emerged as the much-needed solution for him.
Parlour said about Holding. “I was sad to see Rob go because he is such a good guy for the dressing room area, but obviously, he wants to play. He has gone to Palace which is a great move for Rob. I am sure he will do a really good job at Palace.”
There is no doubt that the 27-year-old has the ability to be a solid Premier League defender in the near future. But he needed to join the club where he will be valued and he will get ample first-team opportunities. The move to Crystal Palace has come at a good time for him. and he will look to play regularly with them.
Holding is at the peak years of his career and cannot afford to waste them by sitting on the bench at Arsenal. He is versatile enough to operate as a right-back as well as a central defender. He could prove to be a quality acquisition for Palace in the coming seasons, considering Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi are popular in the market.
Arsenal have plenty of defensive options at their disposal right now, and they would not have been able to accommodate the 27-year-old in the starting lineup. It was ideal for the Gunners to sell the player as well.
Also Read: Arsenal Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023
They were quite active in the transfer market this summer and spent significant sums of money. Arsenal wanted to balance their books, and selling fringe players like Holding brought in some much-needed cash influx. It will be interesting to see if the 27-year-old can make his mark at Crystal Palace and establish himself as a key player for them.
