Arsenal will reportedly offer defender Rob Holding a new contract this summer after his impressive performances towards the end of the season
According to a report by The Mirror, Arsenal will offer the 21-year-old Rob Holding a new contract owing to stellar displays by the youngster as Wenger adapted to playing with three men at the back.
Holding was signed from Bolton last summer for a fee of about £2 million. His performances were lukewarm initially, but he burst into form once Arsene Wenger chose to experiment by playing with a back three. In fact, he was instrumental in Arsenal’s triumph over Premier League champions Chelsea in the FA Cup final last month.
The absence of Laurent Koscielny propelled Holding to a few spots up the pecking order as he had to fulfill a bigger responsibility. Along side Per Mertesacker, Holding flourished and established himself as one of Arsenal’s key young defenders.
In fact, the highlight of this season for him will perhaps be that time during the FA Cup final when he limited Chelsea’s Diego Costa to just one goal – making it a feat not many defenders have been able to achieve in the league this season.
(Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)
The change in formation to a back three also helped Holding adapt and allowed him more space to operate. The central defender made 18 appearances for Arsenal in total last season and has five caps for England in the Under-21 level.
His performances have made it evident that the Gunners will need to him to launch a serious challenge to win the title next season. They will be bereft of Champions League commitments and that will allow them to pour all their focus into ensuring a Premier League campaign.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is looking to indulge in some serious business this transfer season as the club looks to bolster their attack and midfield in particular. They are reportedly plotting a move to lure AS Monaco’s prolific youngsters Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar.
With Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil’s futures at Arsenal growing more uncertain than ever, Wenger needs to have reinforcements. Sanchez had also made it clear that he will look for a move outside if the Gunners fail to seal a Champions League spot, and that will be a concern for Wenger now.
