Who is…the League One defender Arsenal have bid for?
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After dipping into the Bundesliga to find their first summer signing, Arsenal took a sizeable detour to Japan for their second.
To complete a hat-trick of off-season deals the Gunners appear to be looking a little closer to home, albeit at a defender recently relegated into League One.
According to the Daily Mail and BBC, among others, the north Londoners have had a bid of £2m accepted by Bolton for 20-year-old defender Rob Holding.
The Mail say the England U21 international had a medical earlier this week and will conclude a switch to the top-flight giants once personal terms are agreed.
Despite a generally miserable campaign for the Trotters last season, where they finished bottom of the Championship, Holding was a ray of light during his 26 league appearances.
He scooped the club’s Player of the Year award and travelled with Gareth Southgate’s England U21 squad to this summer’s Toulon tournament, where he earned two caps as the side claimed the title.
A product of Bolton’s academy, it was his efforts in a relegation campaign that largely convinced Arsenal to take the plunge though.
Holding made 85 interceptions for the Trotters in the second tier last term, a mark that was the second best at the Macron Stadium.
An obvious ability to read the game aside, the centre-back also registered 95 clearances and 22 blocked shots, putting him third and second in the Bolton squad respectively for those categories.
It’s unlikely Holding will walk immediately into Arsene Wenger’s starting XI after becoming a Gunner though, with his purchase certain to be one for the future rather than a move to strengthen the club’s current title challenge.
We rate that tussle for top spot as a 6/1 possibility ahead of the new season, with Arsenal an 11/10 shot to get off to a winning start at home to Liverpool in their first match.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
