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Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has said that he's not a big fan of Rob Holding, as he's not a hard-tackling defender.
Holding, 27, has been an established squad member for Mikel Arteta's side since arriving from Bolton Wanderers for around £2 million in 2016. He has helped them win four trophies, including two FA Cups.
A right-footed no-nonsense centre-back, Holding has emerged as a starting option for the Gunners recently. After William Saliba picked up a back injury last week, he started the 4-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday (March 19).
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Speaking to Premier League Productions, Petit shared his thoughts on Arsenal's defensive crisis, labelling Holding as 'soft'. He elaborated:
"Rob Holding, I am not a big fan of him, to be honest. I think he is too soft as a defender. It's such as shame also to see (Takehiro) Tomiyasu injured. I would have preferred to have Tomiyasu at right-back and Ben White as a central defender."
Tomiyasu has been ruled out for the season after sustaining a knee injury during a UEFA Europa League defeat to Sporting CP last week. Meanwhile, Saliba could be out for several weeks, as per L'Equipe, in what would be a huge blow to Arsenal's Premier League title charge.
Holding, who has made 156 appearances for Arsenal, is next expected to be in action in the Premier League home clash against Leeds United on April 1.
Emmanuel Petit makes confident prediction for Arsenal's Premier League title challenge
Emmanuel Petit has predicted Arsenal to handle the pressure of the title charge till the end:
"This is one of the youngest teams in the Premier League, but they are handling the pressure perfectly so far. I'm confident they will continue to do that until the end of the season. I don't think they will fail under the pressure. I'm sure they will handle it well enough."
The Gunners are atop the Premier League with 69 points from 28 games, eight points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
However, the north London outfit could falter in their quest to win their first Premier League title since 2004 due to a growing number of injuries. Apart from Tomiyasu and Saliba, Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah are also out with knee and ankle injury, respectively.
