Rob Holding has given William Saliba an insight of what is to be expected of him after Arsenal’s impressive victory over Wolves on Thursday evening.
Holding is starting to be Mikel Arteta’s secret weapon when the Gunners are clinging on to a narrow margin towards the final minutes of the match.
Arteta subbed on the Englishman in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Wolves for the last 20 minutes after Gabriel Martinelli’s red card, which secured the club a crucial clean sheet.
He had also bought Holding into the game during Arsenal’s clean sheet at Anfield in the Carabao Cup following Granit Xhaka’s red card, and with Saliba coming into the team next season, he may have to perform the same role.
Despite Saliba’s excellent performances during his loan spell in Marseille, there is no guarantee that he will come back to Arsenal and secure a starting spot in Arteta’s side.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White have been marvelous as a defensive partnership for Arsenal this season, and have played a massive part in the 11 clean sheets the north London side has obtained in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Because of this, it means Saliba will have to work his way into the side, and can look at the performances of Holding in recent matches as inspiration.
In the last three matches that Holding has filled in, Arteta’s side has managed to keep a clean sheet with the Englishman playing a major part in maintaining the defensive solidarity.
Saliba certainly has the ability to do this, and will be expected to offer even more when coming into the side, similar to what he has shown in his loan spell at Marseille.
The French defender has proven to be crucial for Jorge Sampaoli’s side and has started every Ligue 1 match since joining the club.
He has had some noticeable performances and none more so than his clean sheet against PSG, as he stopped arguably football's most dangerous frontline in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe from scoring.
The marvelous display earned him a spot in the starting XI of France's best under-23 players, put together by French newspaper L’equipe.
Holding is not guaranteed to be an Arsenal player ahead of next season, especially with the return of Saliba, but once the Frenchman returns he must continue the performances that Holding has shown in recent games.
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