Arsenal are likely to be open to selling Rob Holding this summer, according to The Times.

What's the latest transfer news involving Holding?

It was revealed on Thursday that the Gunners are in advanced talks to sign Ben White for a fee believed to be in the region on £50m.

If this move goes through, the club may need to offload some of their current centre-backs, and it has been claimed that Holding could be in line to be shown the exit door at the Emirates.

Arsenal are CLOSING IN on Ben White - fresh bid tabled! Hear more on The Football Terrace...

Is this surprising news?

It certainly is.

Back in January, Holding signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal until 2024, with the north London club having the option to extend this by a further year.

By handing the 25-year-old this contract, it seemed that Arsenal were set to put their faith in the Englishman for years to come, but less than six months later they may now be happy to sell him in the current transfer window.

What were Holding's stats in 2020/21?

Holding, who earns £38,000-a-week, made 30 appearances in the top-flight in 2020/21, and was arguably Arsenal's best defender throughout the campaign.

As per WhoScored, he made more clearances (119) and blocked more shots (27) than any of his teammates. These impressive numbers earned him an average WhoScored game rating of 6.79 - no other defender in Mikel Arteta's squad received a higher mark.

To further back up how important Holding was for Arsenal, the side only kept one clean sheet in the eight league matches that he missed, while they managed 11 clean sheets in the 30 matches that he played in.

Would letting Holding go be a big mistake by Arteta?

With White seemingly on the brink of joining Arsenal, it makes sense that the side need to offload some of their defenders to balance the books. However, they should not even consider letting Holding go.

During a very difficult 2020/21 season, which saw the team languishing in the bottom half for lengthy periods, Holding was one of the few players who stepped up for Arsenal and delivered consistent performances.

If he were to depart, the side could be left with William Saliba, Pablo Mari and Gabriel as their options to play alongside White.

Saliba is yet to play in the Premier League, Mari is coming off the back of an injury-hit season and Gabriel flattered to deceive at times this year as he was limited to just 23 league games.

Arteta needs someone who he can rely on to form a stable partnership with White, and Holding is the player within his squad at the moment who is best equipped to achieve this. Selling him this summer would be a big mistake.