Many Gooners will be surprised to see Cedric included in our Champions League and domestic squads.
That’s because they might have forgotten he was still employed by Arsenal given that he last played for us in December.
The defender played only 28 minutes in the Prem last season.
A loan to Fulham in January only led to 2 starts in the League at Craven Cottage.
The Portuguese hasn’t been included even on the bench for any games this campaign.
Given the club’s policy of being willing to rip up contracts to reduce the wage bill, it’s a shock the full back is still at the Emirates given how far away he is from the first team.
His employers would have been willing to let him leave for nothing if he had found a club willing to pay his salary.
Originally signed on loan from Southampton while his contract expired and then signed as a free agent, Cedric was never intended to be our first choice right or left back.
He was simply a case of Edu finding a body to fill up a place in the squad without having to pay a fee.
At the age of 32, there is no disgrace for you to be down the pecking order against younger peers in a position which is changing.
It’s actually a tribute to the players professionalism that he’s still been registered to play for us this year despite knowing that if his boss had his way, he would be elsewhere by now.
It’s a change in policy from Mikel Arteta who often washes his hands of talent the moment he decides they don’t suit his ethos.
Aubameyang, Ozil, Sokratis, Mustafi., Kolasinac, Bellerin, Pepe are all players who were released because their manager would refuse to include them.
In his first full season as a manager, the Spaniard admitted it was a mistake to pay Saliba and Sokratis to sit at home during the Europa League group stages.
As he conceded, either would have been capable playing against the likes of Dundalk?
Sokratis was in a similar position to the one Cedric is in now.
The Greek was deemed not good enough by Arteta, yet Arteta never had an issue with his attitude, he simply only wanted to work with those he saw as part of the future.
It’s why Balogun spent most of the summer training on his own. To maintain enough fitness to be fit enough to be sold but not a distraction to the first team.
Pepe trained on his own, simply so Arsenal fulfilled their contractual duties. In every other way he was left under no illusions about his chances of pulling on our shirt again.
Bellerin had spent a decade and grown up in North London and that was what his final days with us looked like. So much for ‘non-negotiable principles.’
I have written in the past the Kroenke Family should have made it part of the job specification that a manager get the best out of the resources he inherits.
Isn’t that the point of being a coach?
To train individuals and teach them how to be better?
A rookie boss in his first post seemed to think that it was acceptable just to give up on assets who at the very least could have meant money for the club.
I’m glad that stance has changed with Cedric.
You can never question his work ethic. Whenever he plays, he’s always been solid.
No one is pretending he has a long-term future as a Gunner but if he’s around the place at least till January it’s just as well use him.
Isn’t that what a leader does?
Get the best out of someone’s strengths?
At the very least Cedric is a senior pro you could trust in the Carabao Cup. His experience could help any youngsters you want to play while allowing others to have a rest.
Cedric’s Gunners career is on life support yet he’s hanging in there.
As someone who has always spoke with immense pride about the honour of playing for our club, I hope he gets treated with the decency he deserves.
Too many players have been made to train on their own or paid to sit on their settee.
It’s not a good look. Not the values we are famous for.
If Arsenal have offered a contract and can’t find a buyer, then they have a duty to still treat that player like they would treat anyone else.
I would start him at Brentford. Would you?
Dan
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I always thought of Cedric as decent player, mostly in terms of work ethics and the reason that within his domain of skills, he is not error prone. Plays conservatively, but will do what is asked of him diligently. We might not expect creative and incisive decision making from him, but he will do well what he is asked to do. And that profile is something I value though commonly people seem to write off such players as being limited failing to see how foolproof a player could be in his limited skill set.
Am glad as well he is included in the squad.
But, I don’t think it’s for the reasons outlined in the post or wished by the author. It’s simply because we have Timber out for the season. Still happy for Cedric. He will be a valuable asset this season when we are required to sit out and just do the basics right.
In my opinion, some players just need a fresh start at a new club, to find a new motivation. Guardiola also replaced his predecessor’s players with his own at Man City and he’s been highly successful with that method
De Zerbi might be better than those Catalans in that aspect, but I’m glad we have a talented young manager with brilliant tactics and highly entertaining football style
As for Soares, he could be a decent inverted-RB with his technical skills and experience, despite his aerial weakness. If Timber fully recovers next year, we could offer Soares to other clubs
I am happy for Cedric he is good defensively and has some good cross in him. Though White confidence with ball at his feet is simply incomparable. CSoars is surely an option at Rback. But wether he is match fit is another thing he hasn’t play for long
Cedric is required now because of the injury to Timber and the strange decision to loan out Tierney after knowing about Timber’s injury.
alternatively, is it a worry we are so thin in numbers at the back
Timber injury is a huge blow I don’t think we appreciate the scale of yet, our backline is the same faces as last year minus Tierney and Holding, i.e. even less depth and options in the place on the pitch that arguably was out weakness in eventually succumbing to Man City – I’m thinking Saliba’s injury
So we are weaker, with less squad depth, at the back than last season, Cedric drafted back in to make up the numbers does not feel like plan A
I am amazed frankly, that any Gooner can possibly think it ” great to see Cedric included in our squad”.
I think the polar opposite and that what would be”great” is to see Cedric anywhere else other than at our club.
I simply do not understand the “thinking of fans who want way lesser player to stay at all, even in ANY capacity whatsoever.
I ALWAYS WANT ALL THE DEADWOOD GONE ASAP.
Cedric isn’t a deadwood in that sense
He’s very professional in his play, does the basic things
I remember only 1 mistake from him against Man Utd
I’m sure we can count more than 2/3/4 mistakes from even Zinchenko, Partey, Maghaelles
Yes he’s not explosive nor flamboyant nor extra creative
He’s kinda like Elneny, they not Special but they are hardly ever bad
Guendouzi then had more errors in him than Elneny
Those guys are Okay for backup
They might not even get up to 5 matches the whole season (Unless a serious injury situation happens)
Jon
I agree with you and would rather see Walter’s given a chance than Cedric in cup games and cameo appearances.
Cedric has no future with us, and let’s not pretend he’s the defender we need as a backup or fits the “inverted” role Tierney “couldn’t.”
He is playing because we are desperately thin at the back, it’s intellectually dishonest to say it’s because of talent, quality, leadership, or ability.
We’re short on numbers and Cedric is on the pantry shelf because no club wanted him.
And yet Jon we play Eddie up front and give Reiss Nelson a contract extension and anyone who who questions that is wrong ?
Maybe this could be a blessing for Arsenal, for Cedric not being able to attract any suitable buyer. He is not a bad player.
Enjoy your game lad, take one last bite at the cherry.
Of course MA will say what he has said, Cedric was one of his signings after all!!
One should ask, why he only got two games at Fulham.
I do agree with Dan that, at least he’s not been sent to the “naughty step” to be devalued as so many others have, but, in all honesty, what can we expect for this hard working player?
Maybe enough to pay Nketiah’s wages for half a year?
I agree that he was (almost) always solid when he played, and isn’t a bad player overall, but i do think it’s a problem when older players are happy with effectively no role in the squad. It suggests they’re happy doing the minimum to continue collecting their pay. Not a good look for the player or the club imo. We’d be better off playing youngsters in the some competitions, not that his inclusion means they won’t be able to play, as they typically don’t need to be registered?
Cedric is an awful player for Arsenal, he is only staying because no-one else wanted him or were prepared to pay his high wages, strange as one poster said we loan out Tierney.
Without sacrifice, there is no success. The way the boys celebrated after scoring against MU, the squad is deeply connected. The players Arteta removed from training could be the toxic that will ruin it all. Arteta should not take responsibility for the mismanagement from the previous regime.