Club have ‘opened talks’ to sign Arsenal defender – Left out of squad for Nottingham Forest game

Having already lost new signing to Jurrien Timber to injury, it seems unlikely that Arsenal will want to let a centre-back leave this summer. Update on Jurrien Timber's injury | News | Arsenal.com

Despite this, Besiktas in Turkey have ‘opened talks’ to ‘try and sign’ Rob Holding, according to L’Equipe’s Loic Tanzi on Monday morning.

Taking to Twitter to reveal the news, the journalist provides little to no other information about the affair that could take the Arsenal player away from the Emirates.

Signed from Bolton back in 2016 for €3m, the 27-year-old has never really managed to establish himself as a regular starter in London over the past seven years, and was left out of the squad entirely by Mikel Arteta against Nottingham Forest.

He has played, a fair bit at that, making 162 appearances over the course of all those season for Arsenal, and his best year came during the 2020-21 campaign when he managed 30 games in the Premier League. Why Jurrien Timber to Arsenal might be the most important transfer of summer window for Gunners | Sporting News

There’s no revealing whether the Gunners are keen to sell, but if talks have started, there might be room to negotiate something.

Either way, one to keep an eye on, as Arsenal and the rest of Europe enter the final two weeks of the transfer window with the season having already started.

Nottingham Forest set to sign ‘animal’ on loan with buy option, medical today – Romano

Fabrizio Romano has provided an update this morning on Nottingham Forest and their pursuit of Gonzalo Montiel. The Reds were linked with the player yesterday and a deal could now be edging closer.

According to the transfer guru, the Reds are close to signing the player from Sevilla initially on loan but the deal will include a mandatory option to buy him. He also believes that an agreement on personal terms is now close to being finalised.

The 26-year-old will have to be viewed as a bit of a coup for the Reds. He was part of the Argentina outfit that won the World Cup in 2022, featuring in four of the matches; including 30 minutes in the final where he scored the winning penalty.

Montiel has been with Sevilla for two years after he signed for the club from River Plate. He actually played seven minutes for Sevilla as recently as Wednesday as they lost to Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup.

In total, he’s made 72 appearances for the La Liga outfit and largely operates as a right-back. That aspect is intriguing given that Forest already have Serge Aurier and Neco Williams for that position.

Clearly, the club has something in mind. It’s hard to imagine Forest signing Montiel and keeping the pair at the club when both are unlikely to play.

Montiel has picked up 23 caps for his country. He will forever go down as one of the players who won the World Cup. He’s now set to embrace a new chapter in the Premier League, with the deal drawing to a close.

Romano explains further details on Forest pursuit of Montiel

This does look like a good signing. Last season, he made 43 appearances in all competitions, including seven in the Europa League and four in the Champions League.

Montiel has previously been praised by Julen Lopetegui. The man who departed Wolves in the summer called him an ‘animal’ for his no-nonsense approach to defending.

At 26, the defender has lots to offer Forest. He fits the profile of a player that Forest would like to sign down to the ground and he could be a very decent addition.

With the player now on his way to England this looks like one that could get done very quickly. With Manchester United away to come on Saturday, it could be a tough baptism of fire for the player.

Montiel has seen it all before, however. He won’t be fazed by these big trips in the Premier League and he could prove an astute signing for the Reds.