It seems almost un-Arsenal like but the Gunners have now confirmed their second defensive signing in the span of three days. This morning, the north London giants took to social media to announce the addition of Cedric Soares to their team.
The Portuguese right-back makes the move to the Emirates Stadium from Southampton, joining Mikel Arteta's side on a loan – similar to Pablo Mari. Arsenal have the option to extend this loan into a four-year deal come the summer.
Southampton's reasons for agreeing to this deal are obvious. Soares, who spent last season on loan at Inter Milan, will be out of contract once the season ends, meaning this arrangement will see the Saints bag just under $1.3M. This is a modest fee in the modern game but beats losing him for nothing come July.
He's our Cedric!
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 31, 2020
Welcome to London. Welcome to Arsenal.
@OficialCedric pic.twitter.com/U6SSYKDSJU
As for the Gunners, their reasons are obvious. He will be a decent back-up to Hector Bellerin, who has been out for most of the season, and could even fill the left-back role in the absence of Tierney and Kolasinac who are both sidelined.
"Cedric is a defender with good experience of the Premier League, and of course at international level," technical director Edu told the club's official website.
"He is another strong addition to our defensive unit who will provide our squad with quality. I know he is a player who plays with absolute full commitment and energy.
"We are all looking forward to going into the last stages of the season with Cedric as part of the club."
Unfortunately, the Portuguese defender is suffering from a knee injury, which means he too will be on the sidelines alongside the aforementioned names for three weeks.
The 28-year-old can be seen as a short-term addition to ease Arsenal's defensive injury crisis. Arteta will be keen on bolstering his squad in the summer with quality additions but for now, the goal is the enter Europe either through a top-four finish or a Europa League triumph.
The north London giants will be in action in the Premier League on Sunday when they travel to Burnley. The Gunners are winless in their last three English top-flight outings but have been boosted by the return of Aubameyang who has seen out his three-game suspension.
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