According to a recent report in the Mirror, Arsenal are set to loan out Rob Holding in January with the centreback eager for more minutes at a competitive level.

Since his £2m move from Bolton in the summer, he has integrated into the first team set-up effortlessly and shown his ability with impressive defensive displays.

The signing of Shkodran Mustafi towards the end of the summer transfer window saw his starting berth alongside Laurent Koscielny fizzle out as Arsène Wenger opted for the more experienced option to strengthen our backline. When called upon though, the 21-year-old defender has been effective and worked hard behind-the-scenes, despite the lack of first team opportunities.

Starting every EFL Cup fixture up until the quarter-final defeat at the hands of Southampton, he was rewarded with his Champions League debut away against Basel on matchday six where he didn’t look out of place and performed well.

Basel's Austrian forward Marc Janko (L) vies with Arsenal's English defender Rob Holding during the UEFA Champions league Group A football match between FC Basel 1893 and Arsenal FC on December 6, 2016 at the St Jakob Park stadium in Basel. / AFP / Patrick HERTZOG (Photo credit should read PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images)
Basel’s Austrian forward Marc Janko (L) vies with Arsenal’s English defender Rob Holding during the UEFA Champions league Group A football match between FC Basel 1893 and Arsenal FC on December 6, 2016 at the St Jakob Park stadium in Basel. (Photo: Patrick Hertzog / AFP / Getty Images)

It seems only fair then, that Holding is given an opportunity to play minutes elsewhere. He’ll be hoping that he can make a positive impression if he does get loaned out, in the same fashion that Calum Chambers has done at Middlesbrough.

Looking from his point of view, it’d be good to see him remain in the Premier League. Nathan Aké is another prime example of a talented young defender who has benefited from minutes elsewhere in the top flight, and a Championship move is ultimately a downgrade in quality, whichever way you look at it. Teams like Crystal Palace and Burnley are just two examples of clubs who’d potentially be interested in the defender’s services until the end of the current campaign.