Sheffield United have all but confirmed a deal to sign Rob Holding from Crystal Palace. The defender is expected to sign on loan until the end of the 2024/25 season.
The Blades have already signed four players this season, all of which arrived from last season’s championship promotion sides. Alongside Harry Clarke and Hamza Choudhury, Rob Holding will be expected to bolster the Sheffield United defence.
According to Pete O’Rourke, Rob Holding will join the Yorkshire side on loan. This follows Holding making the bench for just one game this season, and not making a senior appearance since September 2023 when Crystal Palace lost 3-0 to Manchester United in the EFL Cup.
Rob Holding Struggles to Hold Regular Place in Arsenal Defence
Rob Holding spent most of his career as a centre-back for Arsenal between 2016 and 2023. He made over 150 appearances for the Gunners however following a cruciate ligament tear in 2018, the defender would go on to struggle with fitness and fall out of favour in Arteta’s side.
He saw some resurgence in the 2020/21 season, filling in for an injury-struck Arsenal defence and making over 30 appearances in the Premier League. As a less prominent player in the following season, Holding was allowed to join Crystal Palace for around £4 million in 2023.
Will Defender Improve Sheffield United at the Back?
Since joining Palace, Rob Holding has struggled with fitness and has made more appearances for the U21s than the senior team. With such a small amount of game time, it is questionable whether he will be able to make a quick impact for Sheffield United.
The Blades currently sit behind only Leeds United in the Championship and have conceded just 21 goals. With a defence championed by Jack Robinson and Anel Ahmedhozic, Sheffield United already have promotion quality in their backline.
However, after keeping five consecutive clean sheets whilst he was playing, Harry Souttar suffered a season-ending injury on Boxing Day. The Blades have kept just two clean sheets in eight matches since his return to Leicester and will be keen to avoid conceding more goals at the latter end of the season.
