Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal star is ‘expected’ to leave; 2 clubs declare interest

Arsenal centre-back Rob Holding is reportedly on his way out of the Emirates, with two La Liga clubs enquiring about the player.

Holding, 27, has made 162 appearance across competitions for the Gunners, contributing five goals, since debuting in the 2016-17 season. However, the Englishman has fallen further down the pecking order after making 45 appearances in the last two seasons.

Last campaign, Holding made 25 appearances but started only 15. He's yet to play in four games across competitions this season. Despite his contract running till 2024, Holding is expected to leave for regular game time elsewhere.

Romano has tweeted that La Liga sides Mallorca and Sevilla have enquired about the conditions for a Holding deal. Apart from the duo, a few unnamed Premier League clubs are also in the fray. Romano tweeted:

"Understand Mallorca and Sevilla both asked for conditions of potential Rob Holding deal this week. There are also PL clubs informed on Holding situation, as he’s still expected to leave."

Having splurged over £200 million to bring in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, the Gunners are looking to jettison their deadwood, with Holding being one of them.

The 27-year-old has a market value of £8 million, as per Transfermarkt, and could leave before the transfer window closes on Friday (September 1).

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Mikel Arteta laments mistake in Arsenal's Fulham draw

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lamented his team's inability to hold on to their lead against 10-man Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend. The Gunners conceded in the opening minute but led with three minutes to go, only to concede a late equaliser.

Arteta's side were rocked early at the Emirates, with Andreas Perera firing Fulham in front virtually from kick-off after a Bukayo Saka error. The Englishman atoned for his mistake by scoring from the spot in the 70th minute.

Eddie Nketiah netted the second two minutes later as the Gunners led for the first time. With Calvin Bassey seeing red in the 83rd minute, Arteta's side ought to have made it three wins out of three this season, but Joao Palhinha had other ideas. He equalised from a corner in the 87th minute.

In his press conference, Arteta rued his team's inability to see out the win despite their numerical advantage (as per football.london):

"We made the most difficult thing to go 2-1 up. Then you cannot concede the goal we did. You have to defend the box with your life because we should have scored four, five or six."

Arsenal next play Manchester United at home on Sunday (September 3).