‘That is not right’ – Arsene Wenger once tore into the English media over their treatment of one Arsenal star

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Arsene Wenger was never one to mix his words when it came to dealing with the English media as Arsenal boss.

Wenger’s honesty was a trait that many admired during his reign as Arsenal manager and despite his inability to see some referee decisions, the Frenchman was well-respected when it came to media.

Mikel Arteta is continuing those values at Arsenal and Wenger is happy with the academy stars coming through the ranks from Hale End.

Ashley Cole and Jack Wilshere were among the academy stars that broke through under Wenger but he also had a knack of finding young talent in the transfer market – usually paying a very small fee too.

READ MORE: How Arsene Wenger was handed Arsenal ‘nightmare’ by an old foe on a special landmark

Arsene Wenger tore into English media over Rob Holding

Rob Holding was signed from Bolton Wanderers by Wenger in July 2016 for just over £2m and produced a fine performance in a 0-0 draw against Leicester City on his debut.

Leicester were the defending Premier League champions at the time and boasted the likes of Jamie Vardy at his peak.

However, the English media were questioning the signing and wondered why Arsenal had not paid more money for a more established player when they were trying to close the gap and win the league.

As per ESPN, Wenger tore into the media and stated: “Unfortunately no one speaks about the performance of Rob Holding. You should be happy, he is English and 20 years old. I am sorry he didn’t cost £55 million, so he can’t be good.

“We don’t speak about the performances anymore and I think that is not right.”

Rob Holding’s Arsenal career in numbers

Holding moved to Crystal Palace in September 2023 having spent seven seasons at the Gunners and was a solid performer in his time at the club.

Whilst he never lived up to the heights of the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, Holding was always reliable for Arsenal and will be remembered fondly by the fans.

He made 162 appearances for the club during his spell and scored five goals from centre back, his performance in the 2017 FA Cup final win over Chelsea was his stand-out moment.

That was one of two trophies he won at the Emirates Stadium, he was also part of the squad that won the 2020 FA Cup – Arteta’s first and only trophy at Arsenal so far.