"A little bit confusing" - Sheffield United concern raised over Crystal Palace transfer deal | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United pundit gave his take on the loan addition of Rob Holding.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield United have been warned about the EFL’s matchday squad rule, which allows a maximum of five loan players, after sealing a temporary deal for Crystal Palace defender Rob Holding.

Chris Wilder has been looking to bolster his defence for much of the window and has secured a deal for the Eagles' centre-back in the dying hours of the window.

After losing Harry Souttar to a season-ending achilles injury in December, the Blades were always going to need reinforcements.

While they signed Harry Clarke and Hamza Choudhury, the new owners felt more was needed, and it is understood that this has led them to seek the capture of the former Arsenal defender on a temporary deal.

And despite barely featuring for Palace in the last 18 months, Holding will be relied upon by Wilder to be a key cog in the defence for the rest of the season as United chase down an immediate return to the Premier League.

Chris Wilder warned over EFL loan rules amid Rob Holding deal

With the signing of Holding confirmed, FLW spoke to their resident Blades pundit, Jimmy from The Blades Ramble YouTube channel, who revealed that while keen on Holding's addition, he is unsure how it will play out with the EFL's five-loan rule.

"I'm happy with the signing. I really rate Rob Holding as a player - over 100 games for Arsenal, but I am a little concerned he has only played one senior game in two years," Jimmy told FLW.

"If we are signing him on loan, it is a little bit confusing. We have already got five loans, and we can only include five in the matchday squad, so I don't think it is great business unless something happens with one of the existing loans, such as going back to their parent club or being made permanent.

"It will be interesting to see what we do going forward.

"The only concerns I have with Holding initially are his fitness. But I do think it is a very good signing for Sheffield United during the run-in, and he'll likely partner Anel Ahmedhodžić in the middle, and we'll once again have a strong partnership at the centre of defence."

Rob Holding deal could prove fruitful for Sheffield United but concerns remain over loan players

As alluded to by Rob, the one issue that Wilder faces is selecting which loan will miss out each matchday if they sign Holding before the deadline.

At present, they have five players on loan, with Ben Brereton Díaz, Harry Clarke, Hamza Choudhury, Alfie Gilchrist and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi all temporarily at the club. This would force one player to miss out despite all of them being heavily involved when available.

With strong competition for the right-back spot, one of Gilchrist or Clarke may have to miss out each week, although both - as well as Holding - cover the centre-back spot too.

Holding should prove to be a solid addition for the Blades and regardless of whether he features heavily or not, he will surely just be delighted to have escaped Selhurst Park.