Arsenal News

Confirmed – Arsenal complete Cedric Soares transfer

Arsenal has completed the transfer of Portugal international Cedric Soares from Southampton.

The fullback becomes Mikel Arteta’s second signing this month after the arrival of Pablo Mari from Flamengo.

Soares had just six months left on his current deal at Saint Mary’s’ and he had fallen out of favour with the south coast club.

He played the second half of last season at Inter Milan but the Italians decided against making his loan deal permanent.

Soares joins Arsenal on a six months loan deal for an undisclosed fee and he has the chance to earn a new deal when the season finishes.

Hector Bellerin has been the only natural right-back at Arsenal this season but the Spaniard has just returned from a long injury layoff and he is still trying to find his rhythm.

Soares is expected to help Arsenal reduce the reliance on Bellerin and he should be a capable deputy who can also play as a left-back.

Soares won the 2016 Euros with Portugal and he was also their right back as they won bronze at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

He is seen as a temporary solution to Arsenal’s defensive issues with Mikel Arteta planning to make major signings in the summer transfer window, but he can play his way into a long term future at the Emirates if he proves his worth on the field of play.

This may not be a marquee signing but it does fill a gap and increase Arteta’s options. All in all, not a bad deal.

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36 Comments

  2. Good deal, low risk. His wages are very moderate. I just pray he would stay fit so we won’t replicate Suarez situation.

    BRING IN MATVIIENKO.

    1. He’s better than Bellerin, so we’ve upgraded the RB position. Maybe not a huge upgrade, but he is an improvement on what we have.

      2. How is he better than Bellerin or AMN? If he was that good inter would have signed him permanently. He ok as a back up. Not sure he’s better than Bellerin and good for AMN. He would play in his natural position

        1. Well it’s not exactly difficult to be better than them. When was the last time Bellerin had a quality season? AMN isn’t even a RB, and has had very mixed performances in that position.

          1. Precisely! I fail to understand what ANYONE sees in Bellerin,fashion long hair and social media activities apart, all of which are a total irrelevance to me. He has never been able to defend at all and, as you say, AMN is not a defender, though potentially useful when played,(if he EVER is!) in his correct midfield role.

  6. Now please loan Giroud to stop Mourinho from scoring in set-pieces, if Giroud is willing to be Lacazette’s second fiddle

    1. You honestly think Giroud would settle for 3rd choice striker behind Auba and Laca?
      When he has his eyes on the Euros?
      Smh

  7. I know a few supporters may not be excited by Cedric, but he is great cover for Hector. He is a quick good marker. I don’t see him as a big deal going forward, but he can defend and that’s our problem, a shite defence. In the future Mari may well pair with Saliba next season. Tall guys……at last. Problem is at present, Holding, Luiz, Mustafi, are average and lower, so we will still need another cover CB besides Socratis next season to be serious. Maybe Holding can get really fit and get his confidence to be that. The big question will be a midfield fulcrum player as we don’t have that sort of players like Santi/David Silva with the magic feet. Guendouzi, Willock, Torreira all look good for the future but we need a special one. I really like Arteta and trust his ‘project’…………AND we have Martinelli. Ozil and Xhaka….I cannot see them at the cutting edge or part of the project.

    1. Southampton with Cedric starting this season:
      8-3-5 (8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses) – 27 points in 16 games

      Southampton without Cedric starting:
      1-1-6 – 4 points in 8 games

      It’s much more complicated than this, naturally, but it seems he wasn’t a bad influence on the team…

      1. I like this comment. We can’t get a WC now, so I welcome him. Maybe he can earn a permanent deal through performance at the end of the season.

    2. Good post Sean. One clear error though, since Luiz is 6 ft 3ins, hardly “average or lower” height, though next to useless in effectiveness. I think by next August we will have a new and decent defence with most or all the current clowns gone. Sokratis, Luiz and Mustafi are those clowns, plus Xhaka and Ozil in midfield. Ozil has talent but is too lazy to make it effective.

  9. Bring in Mykola? you’re dreaming if you think any other player is coming in today… that’s it, it’s a wrap.
    Now please can someone move this timeline forward so it’s Sunday and game time already??
    I didn’t see the FA cup game so it feels as though it’s been years since I saw us play…

    Really right now I’m fuming bout this two weeks break from football we’ll take…FFS some of us will get depressed

  11. Welcome to Arsenal Soares, now go and make a name for yourself.

    I hope he slots right in and gives Bellerin a real scrap, it’ll be great if all of a sudden Bellerin’s position in the team is under threat.

    We need competition in this side, I look forward to seeing Soares and Bellerin dueling it out.

    I’m really looking forward to seeing Mari too, coming over from Brazil off the back of that form.

  12. Indeed, welcome to Cedric. Underwhelming as it may seem to some, this is good business. MA knows what he is doing, do not underestimate him.

  13. Welcome to Arsenal, Soares! Reading about this deal makes me believe everything written about Mari loan was a farce. Paying 4.2m for a player we can get permanently for 7.5m for just 6 months is a financial move a “penny pinching” club like us can’t make. Both players will always have my support until they play for us no more. Ya gunners!!!!

    1. Yes. That’s a fan. I also support anyone that comes in and wish he does well.
      If our players do well, better for the club and happiness to the fans.

  15. “…he had fallen out of favour with the south coast club.”

    Really? In which way?
    Out of their 13 last games he started all of them.

    1. He only played because of injuries to other players, he was loaned out to Inter Milan and had no long term future at Southampton. He was clearly out of favour and only played because of necessity. If he was really wanted at Southampton they would not have agreed on the loan for a measly £1 million. He would have been more valuable to them to remain and help them push for a Europa League spot and FA Cup progress.

  16. Edu and Arteta for that matter have extensive knowlege of the Portuguese and Spanish speaking nations. That knowledge is already bringing players to Arsenal in, Martinelli, Mari and Cedric. Had the Kroenkes put up a moderate fee we would have had Bruno Guimaraes too, but the Kroenkes won’t spend, because they run Arsenal as part of a 6 club portfolio, shared with his wife, and put us merely on a par with their other clubs (which don’t do that great as well). Still Edu and Arteta have a birds eye view of good players, so lets hope in the summer window we sell and buy well. Obviously we know from the Wenger Era the Kroenkes are after 4th place or better and there is not going to be the big investment that brings the EPL title. But maybe we will get Lucky and Arteta will turn a few ‘sow’s ears’, into ‘silk purses’, and challenge for the EPL. Will we ever challenge for the Champions league? No, not while the Kroenke’s own our club. We know that though.

    1. I don’t know how much Leicester City bought the players they us in fighting for CL place.
      We are shouting Martinelli. How much did he cost? Two great things- i) identifying good materials ii) having a good coach.

  17. Welcome to the treatment room Cedric, thats nearly back to full capacity, i think we are now looking for a groin strain to sign on loan. Lol

      1. No that’s not right, he is loaned for such low because he has 6months left on loan and we are not desperate as much as we were before now that bellerin is back.

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