Arsenal are set to offer Rob Holding a contract extension at the club, despite his long-term injury this season, according to reports in the English media.
Rob Holding
The Mirror write that Unai Emery wants to reward Holding’s progress this season, despite the injury setback. The new terms of the player’s deal would better reflect his standing in the first-team setup.
Holding isn’t set to return to full fitness until September, but he had made a great start under the new manager. In fact, Arsenal didn’t lose a single game with the 23-year-old on the pitch, and things have gone downhill significantly since his departure from the defence.
Holding is also homegrown. With the likes of Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey and others potentially leaving this summer, Arsenal could start to run low on that front.
If you’ve got a player on low wages who is one of your best performing defenders and also helps you fill a compulsory quota, it’s probably best to give that player a new contract before they get unsettled and leave. Let’s hope there are no problems in negotiations and Holding makes a swift recovery to full fitness.
Arsenal have signed a couple of young players up to new contracts recently, click ‘Next’ to find out who they are.
Folarin Balogun
Folarin Balogun has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal, the club announced on February 13th.
Arsenal posted the update on the club website, revealing that the 17-year-old had put pen to paper on a new professional deal in North London. The news comes as a relief to followers of the academy sides, who saw the player’s 17th birthday come and go without a new deal last July. Fortunately, his situation is now resolved.
Balogun has been the u18s’ in-form striker this season, with 13 goals and two assists in 15 league matches. He also scored two goals and assisted one in three FA Youth Cup games before Arsenal’s elimination from the competition.
The England and USA u18 international has made a couple of appearances from the bench for the u23s as well, though he’s currently behind Tyreece John-Jules and Eddie Nketiah for the top academy side.
Speaking to the Arsenal website, Balogun admitted that things are going well for him this year, and he’s hoping to finish the campaign as the u18 Premier League top scorer.
“It’s been a good season so far and I’m scoring a lot of goals, so I just want to keep scoring and continue helping the team week in, week out,” Balogun said. “Individually my goal is to finish the season as the top goalscorer in the U-18 Premier League.
“It’s really good (seeing Emile, Joe and Eddie in the first team). You see them every day walking around the academy, so it makes you think if they can do it, why can’t I?”
Let’s hope Balogun can follow in the footsteps of the trio of academy graduates. Congratulations to the youngster on his new deal!
Click ‘Next’ for another young player who recently signed a new deal
James Olayinka
James Olayinka has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal, stepping up from his previous status as a second-year scholar at the club.
Arsenal confirmed in late January that Olayinka had signed professional terms with the club. The 18-year-old has made the step up from the u18s to the u23s this season, having progressed through the club ranks ever since he was seven years old.
Given all the talent in the youth teams at the moment, Olayinka has had to show his versatility by filling in wherever the u23s need him. He’s played as a central midfielder for the most part, but he’s also appeared in every available position on the right-hand side, as well as once at left-wing too.
The teenager has also spent some time training with the Arsenal first team this season (per Jeorge Bird), so Unai Emery has had a chance to get a look at him.
Recently, Olayinka impressed in Arsenal’s 5-2 FA Youth Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur. When the midfielder came on at half-time, the u18s were 2-1 down, but they got back into the match with his help.
Olayinka’s main position as a deep-lying midfielder means he doesn’t get involved in the goals very often, although he did set up Tyreece John-Jules’ winner against Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.
Congratulations to James on his new deal, and good luck to him with his continued development!