Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta should drop Rob Holding and play Jakub Kiwior against Southampton at the weekend, according to journalist Uche Amako.
What's the latest Arsenal injury news?
The Gunners had to make do without William Saliba against West Ham United on Sunday, with Arteta confirming the defender could be missing for a few weeks after a flare-up of his recent back injury. Saliba has now missed Arsenal's last four Premier League matches, meaning that Holding has been brought into the starting XI, having only received very limited game time as a substitute prior to the Frenchman's absence.
The 27-year-old started alongside Gabriel at the London Stadium on Sunday, but he did not manage to impress Amako, with the journalist calling for him to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior on Friday night, while also indicating he could be one player who is moved on at the end of the season.
Taking to Twitter during the game, The Telegraph reporter said: "Hard to see Rob Holding being part of the next phase at Arsenal with Arteta. His performance at Tottenham cost them last season & he's been a clear weak link again. Kiwior being left footed can't be the reason he's not picked ahead of him. He must start vs Southampton…"
Will Rob Holding be dropped against Southampton?
The Gunners are without a clean sheet in the last four games the Englishman has started, having kept three in four before Saliba's injury blow, and while he cannot be held solely responsible, his performances have been very underwhelming.
Against Liverpool, the Stalybridge-born defender received a Sofascore rating of 6.3, the lowest of any Arsenal player that started the match, after conceding a penalty, losing the majority of his aerial duels, and making one error that led to a shot. The £40k-per-week earner was also too easily bullied by attackers against West Ham, losing every one of the seven duels that he contested, both on the ground and in the air, in a seriously unimpressive display.
Holding was branded "useless" by members of the media earlier this season, and Arteta now has a big decision to make ahead of the Southampton game on Friday night.
Bringing in Kiwior is undoubtedly a risk, given that he has played just 14 minutes worth of Premier League football this season, but the Saints are bottom of the table, which means there won't be a better opportunity to bed him in.