Arsenal defender Rob Holding has previously been linked away with a move from Arsenal but the North London club boss Mikel Arteta has told defender that he won’t be leaving the club this window.
He was talking to BT Sport after his side defeated Fulham 3-0 in the opening match of the Premier League.
The 24-year-old looked set to join Newcastle on loan, and Talksport even reported last month that the two clubs had agreed over a transfer move for the player.
However, the defender remained busy with the London side throughout pre-season. He played both the Community Shield and the Gunners opening match at Fulham.
In both games, the centre-back was impressive for the team. And after his performance in the 3-0 win over the Cottagers, Arteta ruled out the possibility that his player could be moved on this summer.
“I said to him, ‘change your mind because you’re not going anywhere’. Rob is another one who stands for every value that we want at the football club,” he said to BT Sport.
“He had a really difficult time, but he trained and pursued his dream to play for this football club. And now, why do I have to let him go? He’s already playing so what else do you want?”
Holding’s confidence must be very high knowing that his manager rates him very highly.
The Gunners have a lot of centre-back options and they can afford to offload one or more players.
The England U21 international looked to be struggling earlier, so it appeared that the player could be sold this summer.
But the early signs suggest that the defender could be handed a big role at the Emirates Stadium this season.
