Rob Holding's and Fabio Vieira's arrivals have been criticized

Posted : 02 May 2023

Emmanuel Petit, who also believes that the acquisition of Fabio Vieira was a "mistake," asserts that Arsenal cannot win championships with Rob Holding in the back.

After three draws, Arsenal lost to Manchester City 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium, losing control of the Premier League title chase.

Erling Haaland humiliated Holding, who has struggled defensively since replacing the injured William Saliba, and Petit thinks the Gunners won't have any hope of winning trophies if the defender continues to start.

The Frenchman said that Gabriel Magalhaes' "belief" in the center of the defense has been negatively damaged by Holding's erratic performances, which has in turn had an adverse effect on the rest of the team.

“I don’t want to criticise Holding, he puts in a lot of effort and has done his very best, but if you want to win titles I think it’s difficult for Holding to play every game as he’s been required recently," Petit said

“I can see Gabriel doesn’t have the same confidence when he plays with Holding, he looks like a different defender. Defensively Arsenal are not as strong when Saliba and Gabriel do not play together, it impacts the rest of the team, and they don’t play the same way. [Ben] White and [Oleksandr] Zinchenko don’t attack enough when Saliba isn’t there. It affects them mentally and with their confidence, they miss him when he’s not there."

In addition, Petit questioned the £30 million (€35 million) purchase of Fabio Vieira from Porto, claiming the Portuguese midfielder is too "lightweight" to play well in the Premier League.

"I don’t think Fabio Vieira has shown as of yet, that he is the right level to play for Arsenal. When he signed I thought to myself ‘this guy looks very lightweight for the Premier League’. I don’t think he’s ready for the Premier League physically and mentally," the former Arsenal star added.

"You can also say that he’s struggled not getting consistent game time and when you compare him to Emile Smith-Rowe, who I think has a future with Arsenal, he’s not the same. Respectfully, I think it was perhaps a mistake signing Vieira."

On Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League, Arsenal will resume play against Chelsea.

Rob Holding's and Fabio Vieira's arrivals have been criticized

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