Why Cedric Soares is a smart signing for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal

Arsenal confirmed their second new addition of the January transfer window, with right-back Cedric Soares arriving on loan from Southampton until the end of the season. The Gunners have an option to sign him permanently in the summer and his contract expires in the summer.

Earlier during the January transfer window, Mikel Arteta signed Pablo Mari from Flamengo, bolstering his defence, particularly after the knee ligament injury to Calum Chambers. Arsenal have conceded 34 goals in 24 games so far this season. They signed William Saliba before the start of the season and loaned him back to Saint-Etienne. He’s set to officially join the North London club in the summer.

None of Arsenal’s central defenders has performed consistently in the 2019/20 campaign. The partnership of David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos at the back hasn’t worked out, while Shkodran Mustafi continues to be error-prone, one example being the horrible back pass he made against Chelsea in the league that led to the dismissal of David Luiz.

Arteta has done a smart job by reinforcing the full-back position though, with the signing of Cedric Soares. The Portuguese, 28, played 117 times for Southampton during his five-year spell and has represented his national team on 33 occasions. In fact, he won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016, playing the full 120 minutes in the final against France.

The addition of Cedric is a boost for Arteta, who doesn’t have a like-to-like replacement for Hector Bellerin in his squad. The Arsenal boss has used Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a natural central midfielder, in that role, while Calum Chambers is an option, but he has been ruled out for nine months having ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee.

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The Portuguese will also bring some versatility to Arteta’s squad, as he can also operate on the left side of a back four as well. Not to forget, the 28-year-old is a proven Premier League material.

Verdict

A knee injury sustained in Southampton’s game against Crystal Palace means Cedric will be unavailable for Arsenal for a while. But he is likely to be available when they face Newcastle on 16 February following their winter break. All in all, Cedric is a smart signing for the Gunners.