Aston Villa are considering business with Arsenal to sign Rob Holding before the transfer window closes.
New Villa signing Diego Carlos suffered an injury in their 2-1 victory against Everton last weekend. The Brazilian is now sidelined for the entirety of the season and Villa have lost their summer signing without any returns.
Rob Holding has not featured for Arsenal in either of their victories this season and is in a difficult position at the London club. The return of William Saliba has pushed Holding further down the pecking order at Arsenal. Nevertheless, he is a good backup in the current squad and manager Mikel Arteta also admires the leadership qualities of the 26-year-old Englishman.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Rob Holding could follow in the footsteps of Calum Chambers by joining Aston Villa because of a lack of playing time. With Diego Carlos being ruled out for the season, Villa are now looking for his replacement and Rob Holding is the name that has recently popped up. Holding will get substantial first-team minutes at Villa no doubt.
Rob Holding could revive his career by getting more game time at Aston Villa. Holding has executed his role well when required and he can improve even further if he plays more regularly. Villa have started their campaign with a win and a defeat, but they need to replace Carlos as quickly as possible. We might see some moves from the Lions till the end of the transfer window.
Defender Rob Holding is rumoured to be an option being eyed up by Aston Villa as cover for the injured Diego Carlos, according to Estadio Deportivo. 🚑
The Brazilian centre-back looks set to be out for the majority of the season. 😬#AFC #Arsenal #Holding #AstonVilla pic.twitter.com/CjWTw3FEgt
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) August 17, 2022
Arsenal may not let Rob Holding leave that easily as the move compromises the squad depth at Arsenal. Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are establishing a good partnership in the backline. The Gunners are struggling at the right-back position and Ben White has been deployed as the right fullback in both of the opening games.
Why Aston Villa Are Considering A Move For Rob Holding?
Rob Holding has improved the most in his passing abilities during his time at Arsenal. Holding was one of the better long passers in the Premier League before he fell down the pecking order. He also played a few key passes from deep in his own half when he was getting chances at Arsenal and could replicate that same kind of distribution at Aston Villa. This could improve even more if he plays more regularly in a suitable system.
Holding anticipates the opposition threat pretty quick and pro-actively changes his body shape before the opposition can take advantage. So, he has a little more time than the opposition forward to get into a better position to win the ball. Holding has been very impressive in terms of just defending which makes him a ‘decent’ backup option for Arsenal.
However, elite clubs such as Arsenal require something more than just defending which players like Saliba and Gabriel provide. Nevertheless, Aston Villa will have their centre-back position more than taken care of with Holding in their backline playing alongside Tyrone Mings. Steven Gerrard is capable of getting the best out of the Holding-Mings partnership.
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However, the 26-year-old defender does have areas to improve. He lacks composure in tight areas which can be solved by the right coaching and more time on the field.
Holding has been struggling for game time at Arsenal but a move to Aston Villa could help both the player and the club. Villa are hoping to sign him while Arsenal are also looking to offload some of their players, but their stance on Rob Holding remains unclear.
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