Mikel Arteta Praises Cedric Soares

DBasia.news – Although not yet playing and still injured, Arsenal never hesitate to permanently contract the Portuguese defender, Cedric Soares from Southampton.

Despite having high experience with Southampton and the Portugal national team, Cedric Soares has not been able to perform with The Gunners.

The injury left the 28-year-old player spending most of his loan contract in the recovery room and undergoing training sessions individually. Although not yet able to appear with Arsenal, the North London club management recruited Cedric on a permanent four-year contract.

The decision provides additional options that can be used by Arsenal in the right back position, with the presence of Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Previous conditions were not ideal considering Chambers’s original position was central defender, while Maitland-Niles was a midfielder.

Although Arsenal’s decision to give a permanent contract to a player who has not appeared in any match has been highlighted, Mikel Arteta as manager believes the player with the back number 17 will give a different quality to his team.

“Cedric Soares has a different quality compared to the wing-back options we have. Cedric has a high ability to make ideal decisions in the opponent’s defense area, and has high technical quality. Experience playing in the scheme of four or five defenders in the English League as well will have a positive impact,” Mikel Arteta said in a press conference as quoted from the official Arsenal website.