Arsenal
Arsenal sign Cédric Soares on loan until end of season
by Nick Ames- Southampton right-back is out of contract in the summer
- ‘He’s got that desire, that commitment,’ says Mikel Arteta
Arsenal have completed their second January signing with the addition of Cédric Soares, the Southampton right-back, on loan until the end of the season. Soares, who is out of contract with the Saints this summer, will add cover in what has been a problematic position in recent months and his addition is expected to complete the club’s incoming transfer window activity.
Injuries to Calum Chambers and Héctor Bellerín had given Mikel Arteta a headache in Arsenal’s right-back area since he took over as head coach last month. Ainsley Maitland-Niles has filled in to good effect of late but his long-term future is considered to lie in midfield. It meant the position was towards the top of Arteta’s January priorities and several options were explored, including a move for the Olympiakos captain Omar Elabdellaoui. The lack of significant financial commitment required to move for Soares, plus the player’s availability on a free transfer in the summer, eventually made the 28-year-old their top target.
Arteta explained that Soares, who has 33 caps for Portugal, had been on his radar for some time. “He’s a player who’s got a big experience,” he said. “He’s played in different countries, he’s played in this league, he knows what it means. He’s very willing to go to another top club and he’s got that desire, that commitment. I followed him a few seasons ago, I started to follow him and I really like what he can bring. They were the right conditions for us as well to try to improve the squad.”
Soares joined Southampton from Sporting Lisbon in 2015 and has played for them 138 times – 19 of those appearances coming for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side this season. He spent the second half of 2018-19 on loan at Internazionale but featured sporadically for the Serie A club and a longer-term arrangement was not pursued. A knee injury sustained in Saints’ match against Crystal Palace this month means he will be unavailable for an Arsenal debut at Burnley on Sunday but he is likely to be available when they face Newcastle on 16 February, following the side’s winter break.
“They were assessing him yesterday and we will have more results today, but he’s got a little issue,” Arteta said. “I don’t think he will be available to play [on Sunday].”
Soares described his move to Arsenal as “ a dream come true”, telling Arsenal Media: “It’s amazing this step, to come here and play for Arsenal. To be able to reach this point is unbelievable.”
It is the second loan deal Arsenal have completed this week, with the Flamengo centre-back Pablo Marí arriving on Wednesday in a move that could be made permanent this summer. Arteta believes the addition of Marí will add an extra dimension to his defence, making particular reference to the fact he is left-footed.
“For me, it’s very important,” he said. “He balances what I want to do from the back line, he gives more options, more solutions, he opens up the pitch more. Again, he’s a player that we’ve been following for the last few months. We are really happy to have him.”
Overall Arteta pronounced himself happy with the club’s business, saying he had been “very concerned with some of the departures” – meaning in particular the on-off, but now resolved, situation around Xhaka – four weeks ago. He stopped short of ruling out another, last-minute addition although that is understood to be unlikely. “I will say no, but you never know,” he said of any further activity.