Transfer Centre

Arsenal's Rob Holding 'attracting interest from Spanish clubs'

By Carter White | 28 August 2023

Arsenal are reportedly expecting Rob Holding to leave in the final days of the transfer window, with a number of clubs in Spain enquiring about the 27-year-old defender.

Arsenal defender Rob Holding is reportedly attracting interest from a number of clubs in Spain with days left in this summer's transfer window.

The 27-year-old has been on the fringes of Mikel Arteta's preferred XI over the past two seasons, starting just six Premier League matches in the 2022-23 term.

Holding has been kept on the bench by the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel in recent times, although the centre-back did find himself featuring in vital games last season, including the 4-1 loss at Manchester City in April.

The former Bury man has made 162 appearances for the Gunners since making the switch from Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2016, scoring five goals during that seven-year period.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Holding is one of many Arsenal players who could be leaving the Emirates Stadium in the closing stages of this transfer window.

Arsenal's Rob Holding in action with Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland on January 27, 2023 © Reuters

The report claims that both the player and the club expect their partnership to end, meaning that the defender would be plying his trade elsewhere for the 2023-24 campaign.

It is understood that there are discussions currently taking place on how both parties can facilitate a move away from North London for Holding, with first-team opportunities at the Emirates set to be extremely limited.

The former England youth international has not played any competitive football for Arteta's men so far this season, although he was named among the substitutes for their Community Shield victory over Pep Guardiola's Citizens.

Since featuring for five minutes in a Premier League clash against London rivals Chelsea on May 2, Holding has played just six minutes of football for the Gunners, with that cameo coming against Barcelona in a pre-season friendly on July 27.

The report states that a number of Spanish clubs have enquired about the signing of Holding this summer, meaning that a move outside of England could be on the cards for the first time in the player's career.

Rob Holding is sent off for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur on May 12, 2022 © Reuters

Arsenal have experience of dealing with La Liga outfits already in this transfer window, with left-back Kieran Tierney securing a switch to Real Sociedad on a season-long loan.

The former Celtic man - like the aforementioned Holding - has seen his game time drastically reduced in recent times by high-profile arrivals such as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey.

After starting a combined 49 top-flight matches for the Gunners in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, the 26-year-old earned a starting berth in the Premier League on only six occasions last term.

Following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday, Arteta's men now prepare for an interesting-looking clash against Manchester United in North London on Sunday.