Cedric Soares has no future at Southampton under Ralph Hasenhuttl but that apparently hasn’t put off Arsenal.
Arsenal have asked Southampton about the availability of Portugal international Cedric Soares, according to Diario de Noticias, and you can probably imagine that they have been told he is available at the right price.
After all, Cedric has been out of favour at St Mary’s ever since Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes in December. The fact that the former Sporting Lisbon flyer was loaned to Inter Milan a month after Hasenhuttl’s arrival speaks volumes.
And with Inter deciding against signing Cedric permanently, he has been forced to make a rather awkward return to the South Coast, clearly aware that he has no future at Southampton with a single year remaining on his contract.
Though while The Saints obviously have no plans to keep a player they signed for £4.5 million in back in 2015, a side that finished 11 places and 31 points ahead of them in the Premier League table last season are apparently willing to give Cedric a fresh start.
Funds are famously tight at the Emirates right now and, in an ideal world, Arsenal would probably be aiming higher than a Southampton outcast – two if you count Mario Lemina (The Mail).
But it must be remembered that Cedric was arguably the best right-back in England for a spell a few years ago, combining an aggressive attacking style with excellent one-on-one defending. And you don’t earn 33 caps for Portugal by being an average footballer.
Unai Emery showed at Sevilla that he is a master of helping players get back on their feet and he could work similar wonders on Cedric at Arsenal.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
