Ex-Arsenal man hailed as 'great signing' by Sheffield United boss as he finds his feet again after Crystal Palace exile

When Rob Holding left Arsenal in September 2023 to sign for Crystal Palace, he spoke of his excitement to get involved with the Eagles squad and remain on the right side of the “loud” Selhurst Park atmosphere.

His move across London ended an eight-year spell at the Emirates Stadium where he made 162 appearances for the Gunners after being handed his debut by Arsene Wenger back in 2016. He was part of the FA cup-final winning teams in 2017 and 2020 but had never been a regular starter in the Premier League. He made 30 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign but never surpassed 15 appearances in a single Premier League season during his other years at the Gunners.

His move to Palace was set to give him more of a regular game time. When he signed for the Eagles, club chairman Steve Parish said: “Rob is a player who will bring tremendous quality, possessing considerable Premier League experience for his age.”

However, Holding made just one appearance for the club before being sent on loan to Sheffield United last month.

What went wrong for Holding at Palace?

Holding was not featured in a club-wide photo of both the men and women’s squads and had deleted all references to Crystal Palace from his Instagram while he’d also unfollowed the club on the platform.

Asked about the player’s situation back in September, Palace boss Oliver Glasner said: "Rob is training individually at the moment. We will talk together – he knows the reason. But it is something that stays between Rob and me. Nothing public."

In October, BBC Sport reported that the fallout between the player and manager was due to a disagreement about a post-match running session following Holding’s last involvement in a first-team squad. His last appearance in a matchday squad was against West Ham, as the Hammers won 2-0 at Selhurst Park on August 24. He has never played in the Premier League for Palace and his only game for the club came in a 3-0 loss to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in September 2023.

How is he performing with Sheffield United?

Holding made his move to the Blades last month and has since made five appearances for the South Yorkshire club. He made his first start on Tuesday night as Sheffield United were held to a 1-1 draw by Bristol City at Bramall Lane.

Speaking ahead of the game, Wilder said: “We bought Rob in as well, (he’s a) vastly experienced player. Great signing for us, in my opinion. He’s brought calmness and experience to the group and he’s ready to go.”

Holding is under contract for another season at Palace. Speaking last month after being involved in a 1-0 win at Luton Town, Holding told BBC Radio Sheffield: “I was in a bit of a weird place where I was in my career and I needed a team to take a chance on me. I know my abilities and I know what I can bring to this team and to be fair to Sheffield United they took a chance because I’ve not played in so long. If I can repay that then all the better and that’s what I’m going to try and do.”

In other news, Crystal Palace 'eye' move for £12m-valued ex-Tottenham defender amid Marc Guehi's potential summer departure.