Arsenal News: Newcastle Loan Target Agrees To Fresh Deal With Gunners

Arsenal may be struggling right now, but the club does have promising players that deserve to be kept.

After gaining interest from Newcastle, Rob Holding got a new contract from the Gunners, one that would keep him at the famous Emirates Stadium until 2025.

Holding has held his own despite stiff competition at Arsenal’s backline. The deal has yet to be confirmed although this should be made official in the coming days, the Guardian reported.

If he stays the course, Holding can extend his stay to nine years. This is a big sigh of relief for the 25-year-old who had previously cast doubts on his tenure with Arsenal.

With heavy competition, there was no telling what the future held for the English center-back. All those have now been put to rest.

Head coach Mikel Arteta said through the club’s official site that he is pretty impressed with Holding, both inside and outside the field.

Being only 25, the best may be yet to come and the Gunners are setting the bar high.

“We are all very happy that Rob has signed a new contract, he is very popular with all the players and staff and we're looking forward to watching him continue to grow with us in the coming years,” Arteta stated.

Holding was a player of interest for Newcastle last summer, but Arteta snuffed those plans. Since arriving in 2016 from the Bolton Wanderers, he has had 96 appearances with Arsenal. That included stints in 2017 and 2020 in the FA Cup.

In addition, Holding was a key figure in the latter when the Gunners foiled Chelsea.

Also worth noting that Holding had his share of stumbles. In 2018, he went down with a ruptured ACL in a draw against Manchester United. This forced him into the sidelines until September 2019.

Arteta has turned to Holding to fill in the void they have at the center field. Along with Gabriel Magalhaes, both have been performing well alternating at the position.

This development comes not long after the fate of two players hints at a possible departure. Sokratis Papastathopoulos is likely to leave soon, while Mesut Ozil remains in talks with several teams in a potential loan deal.

Talks with Fenerbahce are ongoing, something that may take time considering there is big money involved on the German defender.