GiveMeSport
·1 September 2023
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·1 September 2023
Crystal Palace are exploring a move for Arsenal outcast Rob Holding before the window slams shut tonight and talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has revealed he has a series of clubs willing to battle it out for his signature, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.
Roy Hodgson is eyeing the north London man amid an all-important season, especially as he is no longer part of Mikel Arteta’s plans going forwards.
With Dean Henderson officially entering the fray from Manchester United yesterday, Hodgson and his entourage now have another English talent on their radar.
Holding, whose £40,000-per-week Emirates contract expires next summer, has always been a fringe player for his current employers and this is particularly the case under Arteta’s stewardship. It has even been reported that the Arsenal chief has given the defender his blessing to leave the club before the transfer window shuts.
Per the Evening Standard, the Selhurst Park outfit are now in pole position to secure the five-cap England international's signature. The report suggests the central defender, who is yet to feature for his current employers in 2023/24, has piqued significant interest from the Luton and Real Mallorca, though it is Hodgson’s side who are looking primed to win the race.
And to add to the speculation, Sky Sports revealed that Palace is Holding’s preferred destination with the 27-year-old’s north London exit expected imminently. Now, Crook has given GIVEMESPORT the latest update on Holding’s future and which teams are gunning for his services late on in the market.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Crook said: “Rob Holding is definitely available from Arsenal. He’s got Premier League experience and is a classic Roy Hodgson player in some ways, and I think that’d be quite a good move for him. I know Luton want him and there are clubs in Spain and Turkey as well, but maybe Palace might be more preferable.
Losing Wilfried Zaha has been the centrepiece of Palace’s transfer business this summer, though they are yet to replace him and have just hours left of the current window to do so. However, retaining the reliable services of Michael Olise, who had piqued hard interest from capital rivals Chelsea, has been a revelation to Hodgson's plans.
Even Hodgson himself has recently claimed that his roster of players is currently ‘three top first-team players lighter than it should be’, though transfer insider Dean Jones did recently reveal to GIVEMESPORT that two new faces can be expected before 11pm tonight.