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Ex-Arsenal star disagrees over Koscielny replacement - ‘he’s not going to be the saviour’
ROB HOLDING is not going to be Arsenal’s “saviour” at the back, claims former Gunners striker Paul Mariner.
Arsenal are in the market for new defenders in this summer’s transfer market.
They were said to be close to signing Saint-Etienne’s William Saliba, though Tottenham have entered the race for the young Frenchman.
Arsenal captain and centre-back Laurent Koscielny last week refused to attend the club’s pre-season tour to the USA.
Koscielny wants to leave the club and have his contract terminated in order for him to move for free.
Everybody’s waiting for Rob Holding to come back, ‘he’s going to be the saviour’ - he’s not going to be the saviour
With the 33-year-old’s future at the Emirates in serious doubt, some Arsenal supporters have claimed Holding could be the man to fill the current skipper’s shoes.
Holding had a promising start to last season before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United in December.
But Mariner does not think the 23-year-old is the answer to Arsenal’s problems.
He reckons head coach Unai Emery should convince Koscielny to stay for another six months at least.
“We keep harping on - ‘where do Arsenal need to strengthen?’,” Mariner said on ESPN FC.
“They need to strengthen at the back.
“The thing is Koscielny is not the player that he used to be.
“But he’s still one of the better players that they’ve got in that back four, and it’s not a very good back four.
“Everybody’s waiting for Rob Holding to come back, ‘he’s going to be the saviour’ - he’s not going to be the saviour, he is not.
“So Unai Emery has got to get hold of Koscielny and say ‘look mate, I need you to pull this around for another 12 months or until the window in January and then we will maybe let you go or do something about it’.
“But at the moment he is their player.”