“They are just leaders” – Rob Holding says he wants to emulate ex-Arsenal teammates at Crystal Palace
Former Arsenal defender Rob Holding recently expressed his desire to expand on his leadership abilities at Crystal Palace, having learned from the likes of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.
Holding left the Gunners and joined Crystal Palace in the summer. The 28-year-old defender is one of the most experienced players in Palace's squad, which comprises a fair few youngsters.
The Englishman recently shared how he would like to use the things he learned from Mertesacker and Koscielny during his spell at Arsenal at Crystal Palace. He told talkSPORT:
"I’ve got a lot of experience, 28-years-old now and they’ve got quite a young team at Palace, they’ve got some young lads coming through."
He added:
"Any little things that I’ve picked up from my time at Arsenal when I first stepped into the changing room and you had the likes of Mertesacker and Koscielny, they are just leaders."
"If I can take any bits that I got from them and pass them onto the lads that are a bit younger at Palace now, then I can do that."
Mertesacker captained Arsenal when Holding arrived from Bolton in 2016 before Koscielny took over the armband in 2018. Holding has also played under the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and current captain Martin Odegaard at the Emirates.
The Englishman made 162 appearances for the north London side but has featured just once for Crystal Palace this season so far.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard on what he learned from Real Madrid superstars
Martin Odegaard has been sensational for the Gunners since initially arriving on loan from Real Madrid in January 2020. He has scored 28 goals and provided 16 assists in 117 games for them.
Odegaard moved to Real Madrid from Stromsgodset in 2015 but made just 11 senior appearances for them.
While he didn't have a huge career in Madrid, the Norwegian midfielder shared the dressing room with legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos. In a recent interview, Odegaard shared what he learned from these superstars, saying (via Mirror):
“There are a lot of small things during that time there: to see how they take care of their bodies, see how they train, the setting for matches, how they switched on and off."
He added:
"It's extreme. Those who were the most extreme about it, you saw how detail-oriented they are, how much they turn up the heat when the match comes. They can be very relaxed and stuff before, but when the match comes, it hits. The whole focus and all that. It was cool to see."
Odegaard will next be in action for Arsenal against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on October 21.