LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 27: Rob Holding of Arsenal celebrates after The Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Commerce City, CO – The Colorado Rapids have signed center back Rob Holding from Premier League side Crystal Palace. Burgundy Wave can confirm this is an 18-month contract on a free transfer. Holding has yet to complete his visa paperwork. He will not be able to train, play matches, or do media interviews until that is done. His availability for Leagues Cup and the August 10 match at Minnesota are uncertain at time of publishing.
The Rapids had been in the center back search since Chidozie Awaziem left for France, and they got two of their guys. Rob Holding played seven seasons with Arsenal before making a move across London to Crystal Palace. He only ever made one appearance for the Eagles. His most recent stint was eleven games on loan to Sheffield United in the Championship in the most recent season. Holding comes to Colorado with a decent pedigree, winning the FA Cup twice and the Community Shield three times during his time at Arsenal.
Working to confirm. Looks like Rob Holding is officially a Colorado Rapid.
Despite making his professional debut at English side Bury in 2014, Holding is still only 29-years-old. He has over 100 appearances in the Premier League, all in his time at Arsenal. Holding will come to Colorado with a resume that few can rival. It will depend on what version of Rob Holding the Rapids will be getting. He was impressive in the few starts he got while on loan at Sheffield United. Crystal Palace fans are not as impressed, however. He was also never really the top guy at Arsenal, and coincided with some of the worst years for the North London side. Despite this, if Colorado can get the Arsenal version of Rob Holding, it will translate very well in MLS.
It is more likely than not that Rob Holding will be the new partner to Andreas Maxsø along the backline. Luckily for Colorado, Holding will not be occupying a DP or U-22 slot when he arrives. This will not only help Colorado use that slot in an attacking position, but also means that the investment into Holding isn’t that substantial. The partnership between Holding and Maxsø will be an interesting one. Usually, Colorado has paired Maxsø with a quick center back that can cover the spaces that Maxsø can’t. This was effective at neutralizing the weaknesses that Maxsø has had in Colorado since his arrival. Holding will not be that guy. He has a similar profile to Maxsø, a slower center back who is excellent in 1v1 defending, but can be caught out if the opposing team passes around them.
The more conventional replacement for Chido’s profile was recent Rapids loanee signing Noah Cobb, who recently made the switch from Atlanta United. A younger guy, but someone who has made 40 appearances in MLS play. Cobb is an entirely different prospect than Rob Holding is. Noah Cobb is a faster player at that center back position, but he feels like either a signing for the future or a cheap short-term fix to Colorado’s depth problem at center back. Especially with Rob Holding coming in, it’s hard to believe that the center back spot is anyone’s but Holding’s.
Noah Cobb has only played 429 minutes in MLS this year. Small sample size, but these passing stats are excellent. Good in the air as well, so maybe he helps on set pieces. We like.
Depending on how much Holding will make once he is in Colorado, this transfer seems like a low-risk, high-reward sort of deal. Holding is coming on a free, and won’t occupy anything other than an international slot during his time in Colorado. Sources tell Burgundy Wave he’ll be on about $1.2 million annually, slightly less than Chido.
Worst case, he should be easier to move on from than Kevin Cabral was. Best case, Colorado has found a cheap solution to their recent center back depth problem. Defense has been a problem with the Rapids as of late, conceding three goals in four of their last six matches, or all of their last four away matches.
Colorado needed to think on their toes after Chido wanted out midway through the season. They have taken two shots at differing prospects, with one being a young Noah Cobb and the more recent acquisition of Crystal Palace defender Rob Holding. Both are very intriguing prospects for Colorado, but it does feel like Rob Holding is the successor to Chidozie Awaziem in Colorado. Holding has one of the most impressive resumes of any signing the Rapids have made. Welcome to Colorado, Rob Holding!
Photo Credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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Matt Pollard 