ROB HOLDING has admitted he once thought Arsenal would win the Premier League after watching Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in training.
The 27-year-old defender is one of the longest-serving current players at the Emirates Stadium.
He joined the club in a £2million transfer from Bolton in 2016 and has since made 162 appearances across all competitions.
Holding has seen dozens of players come and go during his time in North London, but two stars particularly stood out to him.
When questioned about the most talented player he's played alongside, the centre-back revealed that Ozil and Mkhitaryan were "frightening" to face in training.
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When speaking on the Jaxxon Podcast, he said: “A lot of Arsenal players have always said Santi Cazorla (is the best) because with both feet, technically he’s so clean.
“I agree completely and I think he was great, but Mesut Ozil just used to do these magic things and you’d see these little glimpses in training.
“I remember a session, when (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan had just signed. We did a possession-based drill and those two were on the same team.
“They just completely ran it around us, just passing to each other, barely using anyone else. It was frightening.
“I thought we were going to win the league. I thought with these guys we’re just going to rip it up now and it’s going to be incredible.
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“His (Ozil’s) football intelligence is just so high.”
Mkhitaryan left the Gunners in 2020 to join Roma, with Ozil following suit shortly after in 2021 to sign for Fenerbahce.
Arsenal launched a Premier League title charge last season, but they fell short to Manchester City, who went on to win the Treble.