Emmanuel Petit criticizes ‘soft’ Arsenal defender, stating ‘I am not a fan of him’

Arsenal centre-back Rob Holding has come under fire from former footballer and current pundit Emmanuel Petit, who criticized the defender’s perceived lack of physicality. Petit expressed his opinion following Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, in which Holding started at the heart of the defence.

Despite Holding’s inclusion in the starting lineup, Petit made it clear that he would prefer to see Ben White in the same position, citing Holding’s alleged softness as a major issue. Petit’s opinion is particularly notable given his own experience as a World Cup-winning defender for France.

Holding’s starting role was due in part to an injury to William Saliba, but even if Mikel Arteta had wanted to replace Holding with White, he was unable to do so due to the absence of back-up right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Commenting on the situation, Petit stated: “Rob Holding, I am not a big fan of him, to be honest. I think he is too soft, as a defender. It’s such a shame also to see Tomiyasu injured. I would have preferred to have played with Ben White as a central defender.”

Petit’s comments are likely to fuel speculation about Holding’s future at Arsenal, especially with the likes of White and Saliba vying for a spot in the starting lineup.