Oh wow, i bet Özil and Alexis are dreaming of playing with this bloke and will extend in a heartbeat.

In all seriousness though, i know nothing about the guy, but it does make you wonder what kind of changes are in line for our defence. Surely such an inexperienced guy cant be Mertesacker replacement. Are we sending out Chambers on loan? Are we signing him as a 5th CB? Is he a Jenkinson replacement?

No point moaning when we sign promising youngsters. It's what every club at every level in football tries to do.

Pretty much, Speedy. Problem occurs when and if he is automatically promoted to the first team squad.

Maybe he can keep Chambers company in the squad whilst we continue to play Mertesacker and Gabriel.

speedy wrote:

No point moaning when we sign promising youngsters. It's what every club at every level in football tries to do.

Not sure if it was aimed at me, but in case it wasnt clear from my "in all seriousness" comment, i have nothing against signing this or any other talented youngster. As long as the same positions in the squad are covered with experienced players as well, of course.

Can he be converted to a holding midfielder?

Not really pal, I was just getting it in there before the general moaning started. But it didn't work.


Come on Arsenal!! #Believe #DENCH!

from his twitter account in 2012.

from somewhere on the interweb:
the defender's holding, the midfielder's coq

The reminds me of the bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey

http://m.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/14478153.Phillips__I_was_instructed_to_drop_Arsenal_target_Rob_Holding/

Jimmy Phillips: I was instructed to drop Arsenal target Rob Holding by Bolton Wanderers’ owners
“I was asked by the board of directors not to play him yesterday,” he told The Bolton News. “He was in the line-up on Friday morning but that’s as much as I know.

“It would appear some clubs are interested in him somewhere down the line. I think the wheels are still in motion on that one and it’ll be a few days before we get an outcome.”

7 days later

Good luck trying to play poker with Arsene 😆

Next!

7M? Are they trying to Rob us? Can't see them Holding on for that much.

Holding Wenger to ransom never works, no.

I'm "Holding" fire on banning all of you for crimes against humour, for now.

Yeah, holding that thought at bay is probably wise; to rob the forum of at least one quality poster, myself, doesn't seem the best course of action here.

Good grief Rex that was fucking horrible

I put proper effort in. 🙂

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

Hmmm don't want

Not even if he changed his name to Richard?

I really didn't want to chuckle at that Biggus, but I did. I must learn to embrace my juvenile side more often.

puns aside, is this clown any good? ive never seen him play and i dont even want to watch youtube compilations

I think the sooner we get this done the better, actually. We could just loan him out for a year or two, but it feels like a sound strategy to swoop up the best defensive talent. I wish we'd done the same with Stones before he broke through at Everton.

Only just been selected for England for the first time, never once got picked for any of the youth teams from the U15s up. Which I find a little worrying. Although, it should be said that playing for Bolton won't have helped and the fact that he's won their player of the year and been a mainstay in the team is promising.

I've seen him listed everywere as only 182cm (5'11") but I think he's actually more like 188cm or 6'2". From what I've read about him it seems he's not really an option as a fullback for us. He is rated, by Bolton fans at least, as reasonably quick, good on the ball, a good talker for his age and a good reader of the game. Stones is the guy they say he's a similar kind of defender too, although not quite as cocky. Everton were heavily linked a while back and we're looking at him for around £10m as a replacement!ent for Stones, were he to move on.

Hard to imagine many teams are in for Stones these days.

Still think Stones will become a class player - if he gets a switch now to play for a manager who actually understands defending. Rules us out. Has Martinez been fired? Could be a good move for him to stay put at Everton.

Never heard of him, haven't googled him or even read the thread but i'm guessing he is a bog-standard holding midfielder of the Rob Lee mould.
Edit: every other post on page 1 covers this joke!

23 days later

Lots of reports around that this one is close to being finalised for about £1.5m plus add-ons. AFC_Camden also says it's done, take that part how you like.

Read some good things about the kid. Not sure how he fits in regards next season, with Chambers out on loan? Hopefully we don't keep him here if he's not going to see significant game time ala Chambers.

Looks like Bolton fans weren't exaggerating when they said he was good on the ball. And all round there looks plenty there to work with but, again, we've got to get him the minutes to get up to Arsenal level. Unless he's some sort of prodigy he ain't doing that here next season.

A scouting report from a Bolton fan too;

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2016/04/22/scout-report-rob-holding/

I've read a lot of encouraging stuff about him too. Glad to see this is seemingly done. Maybe we'll loan him to a Championship team next year.

How tall is he? Is he able to hold his.own in physical duels?

Ricky1985 wrote:

Lots of reports around that this one is close to being finalised for about £1.5m plus add-ons. AFC_Camden also says it's done, take that part how you like.

Read some good things about the kid. Not sure how he fits in regards next season, with Chambers out on loan? Hopefully we don't keep him here if he's not going to see significant game time ala Chambers.

Looks like Bolton fans weren't exaggerating when they said he was good on the ball. And all round there looks plenty there to work with but, again, we've got to get him the minutes to get up to Arsenal level. Unless he's some sort of prodigy he ain't doing that here next season.

A scouting report from a Bolton fan too;

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2016/04/22/scout-report-rob-holding/

Never heard ot the guy before.

As for future CB's, Axel Tuanzeb/Tyrone Mings/Mason Holgate are three good prospects.

Yeah don't really care TBH

i care because i don't see how this hurts the now signing that we need. if wenger views this as a "well now i don't need to sign an elite level partner for kos" then that's on him and not the scouts who've identified someone they feel could develop into another stones or better.

i hope we keep turning over every rock for players and they develop like bellerin because the way things are going in the transfer market if you need 4 elite champions league level starters in your squad it's going to cost 150m easily.

Yeah, I think it's a good thing too. Great centrebacks are as rare as strikers nowadays. Sign a couple talents, let them develop elsewhere, see if one of them makes the grade. It's the Gabriel signings we need to avoid because those do real damage to the first team.