Rob Holding’s Uncertain Future at Crystal Palace: A Closer Look

Rob Holding, the former Arsenal defender, has found himself in a challenging position at Crystal Palace, a little over a year after his transfer to the club for £4 million. Despite joining to strengthen the team’s defence, the 29-year-old was conspicuously absent from the club’s anniversary event, raising questions about his current status within the team.

Holding, who amassed 162 appearances over seven years with Arsenal and won two FA Cups, is presently training with Crystal Palace’s under-21 squad, rather than participating with the first team. According to manager Oliver Glasner, this arrangement follows a private disagreement, the details of which have not been publicly disclosed. “Rob is training individually at the moment,” Glasner stated on 1 September. “We will talk together – he knows the reason. But it is something that stays between Rob and me. Nothing public.”

The dispute reportedly arose after Holding declined to participate in a post-match running session. His involvement in the first team has been minimal, with his only appearance being in the EFL Cup against Manchester United last season, and he has yet to feature in any Premier League matches.

Currently, Holding is training at a separate location from the first team, at the club’s academy, and there seems to be little hope for his immediate return to the first team, according to sources. Despite the circumstances, sources close to the player have relayed that Holding remains committed to training professionally and being the best he can under the circumstances.

Crystal Palace’s acquisition of three new centre-backs this summer—Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg, Chadi Riad from Real Betis, and Trevoh Chalobah on loan from Chelsea—has further complicated Holding’s potential return to first-team action. With other defensive options like Marc Guehi, Chris Richards, Jefferson Lerma, Joel Ward, and Nathaniel Clyne, Holding would find himself low in the pecking order even if he were to resolve his issues with Glasner.

In a sign of frustration, Holding has removed references to Crystal Palace from his Instagram profile and unfollowed the club on the social media platform, although he still appears as a first-team player on the club’s website. Despite these developments, Holding has been praised for his role at the academy, where he is seen as a positive influence on the under-21 team, recently playing a full 90 minutes in their 3-1 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Trophy.

With Crystal Palace facing challenges, including being winless after seven Premier League games and sitting in the relegation zone, many are left to wonder if there might be an opportunity for Holding to reclaim his place in the squad.