Not ready and needing a loan for another transition year doesn't equate to being a bust

goon wrote:

Arteta confirms it’s both personal and professional issues that have been the issue, but sounds much more positive. Unless he’s suddenly going to leap frog Holding, Luiz and Chambers I think we’re better off loaning him for six months, preferably to a PL or Championship side.

Considering our dire state and the performances of all our CBs bar Gabriel could he really be worse than them?

Absolute stupidity not selecting him for the Europa cup squad.

Does lead to question marks over Arteta's decision making.

Agree not having him in the Europa squad is madness. Think people are being very harsh on Rob Holding all of a sudden though. He's been mostly pretty solid this season.

He has but with Holding my feeling is this is his best, he won't get any better. If that is the case then his ceiling isn't high enough to be in our first XI.

He's been managed badly whatever the circumstances and I think as a young player Arteta should have anticipated his improvement and given him that incentive and hope that he could actually play. But what's done is done, I think that's a clear example of Arteta inexperience on these matters.

As qs says though I don't think our centre backs have been bad, or our defence for that matter. We have the 4th best defensive record in the league and that's despite attacking with numbers.

Qwiss! wrote:

Agree not having him in the Europa squad is madness. Think people are being very harsh on Rob Holding all of a sudden though. He's been mostly pretty solid this season.

He's decent do doubt, Top teams target getting runners in behind him all the time. It's a super easy way to beak us down.

Qwiss! wrote:

Agree not having him in the Europa squad is madness. Think people are being very harsh on Rob Holding all of a sudden though. He's been mostly pretty solid this season.

It's absolutely insane. I think Arteta is far too cautious with youth players anyway. He barely played many in Carabao too.

Clrnc wrote:

Qwiss! wrote:

Agree not having him in the Europa squad is madness. Think people are being very harsh on Rob Holding all of a sudden though. He's been mostly pretty solid this season.

It's absolutely insane. I think Arteta is far too cautious with youth players anyway. He barely played many in Carabao too.

Its frustrating as the amount of young talent coming through is the only exiting thing about us at the moment.

None of our young players make me sit up apart from Martinelli. Who knows what sort of player he will become after such a serious injury and all that lost time? Besides he’s essentially a first team player now.

Talk he may be sold

How bizarre a signing this has turned out to be. At least with Park or Bischoff there wasn't any hope or big expectations.

The bizarre thing about it all is Arteta, and serious question marks over whether he is the right man to lead a club who relies on developing young players. He’s far too risk averse and cautious.

The whole Saliba affair is curious. Is this why Raul has been fired?

I really don't think one needs to see too much of Saliba to know his quality, and that he's probably favorable to achieve the kind of reputation and foothold that the likes of Umtiti or Varane have in the national side. So whatever is going on or sounds like may happen, his quality and potential will be down the list of reasons for me.

No idea about Raul, but the transfer value for Saliba never seemed inflated for me.

He's not even been give Europa League or League Cup games. I would guess non-footballing reasons are at play.

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

Talk he may be sold

Pretty houseboat source. Edu and arteta are on the dunce list if they sell a 25m player before he even sets foot in the first team 

Yeah there's no way they'll do that unless he's been caught doing drugs or something.

Saliba will get loaned out in January, and when he returns in the summer or a year from now or whenever it might or might not be Arteta who's still managing Arsenal. Either way the club has invested too much time and money in him already to just let Art chuck him out.

Madness , this guy can't be worse than what we have bar Gabriel. Why on earth would we sell without giving him a chance?