'Too soft' – Emmanuel Petit admits he is 'not a big fan' of Arsenal defender
Emmanuel Petit admits he is ‘not a big fan’ of Arsenal defender Rob Holding and has made a confident prediction for the Gunners’ Premier League title challenge.
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Holding started Sunday’s 4-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace after William Saliba suffered an injury during the Europa League defeat to Sporting Lisbon three days earlier.
Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Saliba’s setback is not too serious but Holding could yet have a crucial role to play as Arsenal attempt to clinch their first league title since 2004 after the international break.
Holding has made 156 appearances for Arsenal since joining the club in 2016 but the 27-year-old is yet to fully convince former Gunners midfielder Petit, who believes he is ‘too soft’.
‘Rob Holding, I am not a big fan of him, to be honest,’ Petit said on Premier League Productions before Arsenal’s victory over Crystal Palace. ‘I think he is too soft, as a defender.
‘It’s such as shame also to see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu injured. I would have preferred to have Tomiyasu at right-back and Ben White as a central defender.’
The option to play Tomiyasu in any position has been taken out of Arteta’s hands after Arsenal confirmed the Japan international would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Arsenal will resume their Premier League title challenge against Leeds United following the international break, having moved eight points clear of defending champions Manchester City.
Petit is not sure if Arsenal will be crowned champions but insists if they fall short it will not be because the pressure got to them.
‘This is one of the youngest teams in the Premier League but they are handling the pressure perfectly,’ he said after Arsenal thumped managerless Palace.
‘I’m confident they will do that until the end of the season. I don’t think they will fail under the pressure, I’m pretty sure they will handle it.’
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