Alan Nixon has revealed that Newcastle United are still “shocked” that Rob Holding’s proposed loan move from Arsenal fell through.
The Sun journalist claims we had a house lined up for the Arsenal defender before a late U-turn from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta saw the player stay in north London.
Here is what Nixon tweeted about the player believed to be Bruce’s top target in his quest for a new centre-back, suggesting Arsenal ‘held him back’ after a deal was agreed:
Several media outlets have since reported that we are still in the hunt for Holding and are weighing up our options ahead of a possible second attempt to lure him to St James’ Park.
He has started both of Arsenal’s two victories in the Premier League so it seems unlikely that Arteta would now be keen on letting the player go, however David Luiz’s return from injury and the form of new boy Gabriel could yet change his mind.
Despite Sunday’s poor showing, centre-half remains a strong area in our squad with Lascelles, Fernandez, Clark, Schar and Dummett all being able to play there.
It seems highly doubtful that Holding will make the switch up north but with two weeks to go until the end of the window, it would be foolish to rule anything out.
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