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Former Arsenal player Ray Parlour has expresed his sadness at watching Rob Holding leave the club this summer.
Holding, 27, joined Crystal Palace, after spending seven years at Arsenal, having made 162 appearances for the Gunners. Bought for £2 million from Bolton Wanderers in 2016, he was tipped to be a rising star.
However, the player failed to reach great heights in the Premier League. Instead he became a valuable squad player, who was a good rotational option for a big club like Arsenal.
At 27, Holding, in his prime years, was unable to get regular game time ahead of the likes of Ben White, William Saliba or Gabriel Magalhaes. So the Englishman had little choice but to leave Arsenal to keep his career afloat.
Parlour gave his take on the move:
“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.”
At Crystal Palace, Holding can be expected to be a regular starter under the experienced Roy Hodgson. Regular game time could see him develop into a fine centre-back, which might yet open new doors for him.
Arsenal squad reshuffle this summer saw several players leave, including Rob Holding
Holding was not the only player to leave the Emirates for this summer. Players like Granit Xhaka, Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney and Folarin Balogun also left.
Xhaka ended his topsy turvy spell at the club on a high after an impressive outing in the 2022-23 season. He has now joined Bayer Leverkusen, managed by Xabi Alonso.
Kieran Tierney, unable to adjust to the tactical demands of an inverted full-back for Mikel Arteta, saw his game time greatly reduced during the 2022-23 season. He has now joined Real Sociedad on loan.
Balogun, who impressed mightily in Ligue 1 last season, was unhappy to settle for a third-choice striker role behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. He joined AS Monaco this summer. Nicolas Pepe, meanwhile ended his disappointing four-year spell at the club by joining Turkish side Trabzonspor.
After failing to win the league last season, Arteta has reshuffled the squad by selling the deadwood and bringing in new faces like Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
