Rob Holding close to signing a new contract at Arsenal, says manager Mikel Arteta
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Updated 11/01/2021 at 13:01 GMT
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says defender Rob Holding is closing in on a new deal, having looked close to leaving the club last summer. The centre-back will be rewarded for an impressive start to the season, with his current contract not due to expire until 2023. Meanwhile, Thomas Partey and Gabriel could be back for Thursday’s Premier League game with Crystal Palace.
Rob Holding in action for Arsenal
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s confirmed defender Rob Holding is close to signing a new contract at the club.
The centre-back, who looked close to leaving the Emirates Stadium last summer, currently has a deal lasting until 2023, but will be rewarded for an impressive start to the season.
Newcastle were among the teams showing an interest in Holding, but Arteta says new terms are close to being agreed with the former Bolton player.
“It’s something we will announce as quick as we can - and it looks that way”, said the Gunners boss.
Arteta also confirmed that Gabriel is back in contention for Thursday’s Premier League game with Crystal Palace, having recovered from coronavirus, while midfielder Thomas Partey could also play a part, as he’s returned to training following a thigh injury.
"He (Gabriel) tested positive, he had very mild symptoms so he's missed a few weeks of training because he had to be isolated”, said Arteta.
"He's better now, we expect him to be training with us the next couple of days and we'll make an assessment whether we can have him or not on Thursday.
Thomas has been full training for the last four or five days. He was a little bit rushed to try to play him against Newcastle, but I think he will be ready for Thursday.
The Arsenal boss is less confident about the injury status of Gabriel Martinelli, who had to pull out of Saturday’s FA Cup third round win over Newcastle after suffering a problem in the warm-up.
"We don't know how bad it is, he is getting a scan this morning. We didn't look after the game because he was in a lot of pain”, Arteta said of the Brazilian striker.
"Yesterday he tested a little bit better so let's hope we have a scan today and it is not as serious and we can have Gabi back really soon, but we will know more tomorrow."
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