Arsenal confirmed a couple of weeks ago that Cedric Soares had signed for the club on a long-term deal. The Portuguese international joined the Gunners on loan from Southampton in January but failed to play a single minute in that spell due to injuries.
Cedric made his debut off the bench against Norwich City and scored within minutes. Mikel Arteta has a lot of optimism over what the full-back can bring to the squad and it seems like he wasn’t the only Arsenal manager who wanted him.
The former Southampton man wanted out of St. Mary’s for a long time before he actually did. He joined Inter Milan on loan in January 2019 but Cedric claims that he could have joined Unai Emery at Arsenal in that window.
He told Sky Sports: “Last year, there was the possibility to come (to Arsenal) in January. It didn’t happen and I ended up going to Italy, but it was very clear this year that I could join in January and it was a very easy decision for me.
“I had another option for a move, but there was never any doubt when Arsenal appeared. It’s something I really wanted.”
Cedric’s experience could have been useful for Arsenal earlier
Arsenal could have done with Cedric last year. The Gunners lost Hector Bellerin to a long-term injury and the Southampton man’s experience could have been valuable for Emery’s side.
The Gunners went on to lose in the Europa League final against Chelsea. Cedric, a player who has played in a final before for Portugal, could have used his experience to help Arsenal in Baku, but sadly, it wasn’t to be.
Arteta certainly trusts Cedric at Arsenal. His recent comments (read here) hinted that the Portuguese international might even end up ahead of Bellerin in the pecking order which would be a huge statement.
However, the Spaniard has had a good couple of games and, if he continues to play well, Cedric will have to wait on the bench for a while longer before he gets regular game time.
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