Rob Holding came to Arsenal from Bolton in the summer of 2016 for close to £2million.
Holding spent just one season in the Championship with Bolton Wanderers when an Arsenal legend Steve Bould went to take a close look on transfer target. Though Holding was completely unaware of the Gunners legend’s status.
Holding told Sky Sports: “It was Dave Lee who was my Under-18s coach. He pulled me to one side and said: ‘Steve Bould’s watching.’
“I didn’t even know who Steve Bould was! That’s how ignorant I was.
“I said to my dad that Steve Bould is watching. ‘Steve Bould?! Arsenal centre-half legend!’
“And I’m thinking: ‘Ooh, I’m sorry! I don’t know!'”
Bould may not have been a familiar name to Holding at the time, but Steve Bould became very familiar with the 23-year-old center back, as his former coach told him at that time.
‘He was in the stand and he was talking to him and they’re really liking the look of you and they’re watching you.’
“It was our last game of the season on the coach down to Fulham and the manager at the time who was Jimmy Phillips, he was caretaker manager, he just pulled me and said: ‘I’ve had a phone call from the chairman and I can’t play you. They don’t want you injured on the last game of the season so I can’t play you.’ It was crazy.”
FORMER ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER SINGING HIGH PRAISES FOR ROB HOLDING:
Holding was signed up by the Gunners in July 2016 and went straight into the team action on the first match of the Premier League season against Liverpool, which Arsenal lost 4-3.
“When I first came to Arsenal I got called up and it was Liverpool at home on the first day of the season,” he added.
“I was thinking: ‘I’ve never been to the Emirates before.’
“And then I was walking out in front of 60,000. That was the first day I’d been to the Emirates and I was walking around the stadium, full crowds and I was thinking: ‘Is this it? Is it the best thing yet? Does it get any better than this?'”
WATCH ROB HOLDING’S FULL INTERVIEW WITH SKYSPORTS HERE:
