By Daniel Finton (Deputy Editor)
It was initially reported by the Athletic and now the news has been reported by various sources- Rob Holding has signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal. The confirmation has divided opinion amongst the ever-angsty Gooners- as everything ever always does- however, it should not. Signing the 25-year-old onto a new deal is nothing but a good thing and smart move going into the future.
Let me explain. Holding is English and not old so he should be on a long-term deal.
That's it. And while it may sound somewhat loaded and farcical, it's the truth. The former Bolton man counts as a home grown player. Every Premier League side can have have no more than 17 of their registered contenders as non-home gown. Holding staying on helps to fill the home grown quota.
Furthermore, on the subject of the central defender being English, the often alluded to "English Tax" is a very real thing. Players from the gloomy shores cost more and there is no debating it. A prime example of the tax being legitimate was another English defender in which our rivals, Manchester United, paid very well-over the odds for: Harry Maguire. The ludicrous sum paid was in large part down to the fact that he is an Englishman. The Gunners should utilise such stupidity more.
While it is worth noting that the Gunners would not receive anywhere near what Leicester got for Maguire, with Holding on a new long-term contract we'd get a hell of a lot of money if some side longs for his signature. Say some sorry sucker in the league needs to refill their English quota, and they want a player who isn't terrible, Holding could be their man- it's really that easy, crazily enough. He is a great squad player and he does not seem like the kind of player to throw his toys out of the pram if he is rotational. In other words, being British and nice makes you cost a lot.
Finally, away from money and English-ness, bringing it back to footballing reasons, Holding is more than adequate enough to fill a spot in the 25-man squad. It is certainly debatable whether he is the future right sided central defender or not, but I would say one thing is pretty inarguable- he is certainly good enough to be a back-up plan at the very least.
To close, I know Arsenal fans just love to complain about everything so I will take all of the moaning with a pinch of salt. However, in this case said negativity is completely unjustified. Edu and Mikel Arteta made the right move getting Holding to put pen to paper.
The aforementioned pair have come under an abundance of scrutiny lately for many reasons such as lacking basic common sense, but this was undoubtedly a logical move. Enjoy the big, goofy English defender many call "Holdini", folks. He is here to stay.
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