When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal in October 1996, the club was in a mess. They hadn’t won a trophy since 1994 and had endured Premier League finishes of 12th and fifth in the subsequent two seasons prior to the Frenchman arriving in London.
His appointment not only changed the course of Arsenal’s modern history, but also changed English football as a whole, establishing the top flight as one of the finest leagues on the continent.
The former AS Monaco manager didn’t take long to make an impact, securing the double during the 1997/98 season, becoming Manchester United’s first proper challenger in the Premier League era.
Further titles were won in 2002 and 2004 – the latter being dubbed the ‘invincible’ season due to Arsenal remaining unbeaten across the 38 game campaign – while he also added another seven FA Cup trophies to the Gunners’ trophy cabinet.
This success was made possible by his diligence in the transfer market, often signing young talent for a low price before developing them into true world-class players.
Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, and Robert Pires are just but a few examples of this, and they all contributed heavily to this golden era for the club between 1998 and 2006.
That’s not to say Wenger didn’t have the odd transfer mishap and these were more prevalent as his stint at Arsenal wore on.
When did Arsene Wenger leave Arsenal?
The Frenchman departed the club following the 2017/18 season after 20 full seasons managing the north Londoners, yet his final few years were marred by poor results and even poorer signings.
The likes of Lucas Perez, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Danny Welbeck failed to leave any real impact during their spell at the club and this drop in stature meant Wenger failed to realistically challenge for another Premier League title during his final few years.
One of his worst signings however was that of defender Rob Holding, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2016, and it was hardly a signing which inspired confidence amongst the Arsenal support.
How much did Arsenal sign Rob Holding for?
Having finished the 2015/16 season in second place, failing to overtake surprise winners Leicester City during the final few months, the Frenchman aimed to bolster his squad ahead of another potential challenge.
His transfer business wasn’t exactly exciting and Holding was perhaps the most unflattering signing of the lot during that transfer window, costing just £2m and the 20-year-old was viewed as a signing for the near future rather than challenging for a first-team spot straight away.
Over the next seven years, Holding rinsed the club for millions without offering any real contribution on the pitch and proved to be yet another flop signed by Wenger.
How much did Rob Holding earn at Arsenal?
During his spell in north London, Holding began by earning a modest £13k-per-week during his first season before this rose to £23k-per-week during his second and third years at the club.
From his fourth season to when he departed the Gunners this summer under Mikel Arteta, the former Bolton Wanderers man earned £38k-per-week, which represented a decent rise from his first contract and signified his position in the senior team.
Over the course of his Arsenal career, he made 162 appearances for the club, yet made only 20 Premier League appearances during a single campaign only once, missing 54 games through injury during his time at the Gunners.
Did Rob Holding deserve to earn this amount?
Although the defender probably exceeded expectations at Arsenal following his arrival as a youngster in 2016, going on to win two FA Cups with the club, he wasn’t exactly the most consistent performer.
Indeed, he made just 60 appearances across his first three seasons, and it wasn’t until the 2020/21 campaign that he firmly established himself as a regular in the starting XI, especially in the Premier League, making 30 appearances.
This represented his peak as a player for the club, ranking fifth across the squad for accurate passes per game (52.3), first for clearances per game (3.9) and fourth for overall Sofascore rating (seven), indicating he was a reliable performer on the big stage, yet it proved to be a one-off.
The following season, he dropped to a lowly 19th in the squad with regard to Sofascore rating (6.79), while ranking 17th for tackles (0.9) and 12th for accurate passes (27.5) per game, showcasing just how big a drop-off he endured.
The former England U21 international was even criticised by Gary Neville after he was sent off against Tottenham Hotspur in May 2022, who said: "What is he doing? What is he doing?! Oh my goodness. I’m watching the run from Son and he [Holding] has a jab with his elbow, it comes away from his body. He’s been erratic, rash, he’s lacked composure.
"It’s madness. Mikel Arteta has big problems now. His centre-back has caused him huge issues in the first 35 minutes of this match. We spoke about Holding earlier in the game. Son played him. He played him and played him, like a little boy. Sometimes as a defender your head goes, you’re emotional and you do rash things. Son was in his head."
The centre-back lasted just one more season at the Emirates before joining Crystal Palace for a fee of £4m this summer as Mikel Arteta looked to ship out some deadwood in the squad.
Over the course of his 371 weeks at the Gunners, Holding rinsed the club of £13m, which combines his £2m transfer fee along with the £11m he earned in wages during that spell.
On the surface, this figure doesn’t appear to be a lot, especially for a club the size of Arsenal, yet Holding was just one of a few players signed by Wenger who ended up rinsing the club dry.
Arteta has turned the Gunners around and now has them challenging for honours, both domestically and on the continent, and hopefully expensive flops like Holding are a thing of the past as the Spaniard attempts to take the club into the future and secure glory of some sort in the next few years.