Journalist explains what Arsenal are planning to do about Cedric Soares

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The Daily Echo’s Dan Sheldon spoke on The Total Saints Podcast about Cedric Soares’ future beyond the end of this season.

Arsenal made a shock loan move for the Portuguese international in January. Cedric joined the Gunners with a knee problem which kept him out of action until football came to a standstill.

A facial injury recently has kept him on the sidelines over the last week and it is unclear if he will ever get a game for Arsenal.

Cedric’s deal will expire at the end of this month after which he will become a free-agent. Arsenal will have to agree terms with all of their players whose contracts will expire at the end of this month but Cedric doesn’t necessarily fall into the same category.

The Portuguese international will no longer be a Southampton player and Dan Sheldon claims that the Gunners might just wait until the start of July to get him on a cheaper deal.

He said: “I really don’t know with Cedric, it’s a strange one. When he becomes a free agent on the 30th of June, he’s obviously then free to negotiate with other clubs.”

“So what Arsenal are probably doing is waiting until then and then they’ll get him on a cheaper deal, I don’t really know. I don’t think he’d be too fussed because you can just imagine that he is loving life in his Arsenal kit. It doesn’t really matter one way or the other.”

This isn’t the first time that Arsenal have signed an injured player on loan. Denis Suarez and Kim Kallstrom came in with fitness issues as well but the duo managed some game time before returning to their respective parent clubs.

Cedric’s case is completely different for multiple reasons. It doesn’t look like the defender will get any game time before his contract ends and once it does, he won’t have a parent club to go back to.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the next two weeks. Arsenal, as reported by many, are struggling for cash due to the current financial climate and it makes sense for them to wait till Cedic is available for potentially a lower wage deal.

However, it is unlikely that he will displace Hector Bellerin as Arteta’s first choice which might force him to look at his other options once his contract comes to an end in over a week’s time.