Arsenal defender Rob Holding may finally be on the verge of an exit this summer, as the club have opened talks with Besiktas over a transfer.
That’s according to journalist Loic Tanzi, who has claimed that the Turkish club are now trying to sign the 27-year-old.
It was reported earlier this summer that Besiktas had a low bid for Holding rejected, and it now appears that they have returned with the intention of making another offer. Arsenal will likely stick to their previous valuation, but it remains to be seen what kind of bid Besiktas can make.
Nicolas Pepe’s move to Besiktas appears to have collapsed, and perhaps this has now made room in their budget for Holding.
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“Besiktas have started talks to try and bring in Rob Holding,” Tanzi tweeted.
Time to part ways
Although a likeable member of the squad within the dressing room, Arsenal should have parted ways with Holding some time ago.
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Whilst he was a good, if unremarkable defender during his earlier years at the club, a number of injuries have caused him to lose some of his speed, and this makes him almost unplayable in Mikel Arteta’s current system, which sees William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes push high up the pitch.
Holding’s errors saw him receive a red card in an important North London Derby over a year ago, before his inadequacies were exposed as Arsenal collapsed in last season’s title race when he attempted to replace Saliba following the Frenchman’s injury.
Arsenal’s lack of progress on sales in recent weeks has led to some urgency in terms of outgoings, and with less than two weeks left in the transfer window, Edu Gaspar should try to secure a transfer for the Englishman promptly.
One of Arsenal’s longest-serving players, it is a shame that Holding never established himself as a starter, but the club simply have to move on now as Arteta attempts to challenge for the title again.