Arsenal set to sign Cedric Soares: Wise move by Arteta?

Bengaluru, Jan 30: Arsenal are ready to make a late move for Southampton defender Cedric Soares on an initial loan deal worth £5million before snapping him up in the summer for free on a four-year contract, as per the Athletic.

The 28-year-old only has six months left in his deal and has already mentioned that he is ready to leave the side in Summer. Before letting him go for free Southampton are now ready to recoup some of their £4.7m outlay when they signed him from Sporting Lisbon in 2015. Moreover, with them set to sign Kyle Walker-Peters on loan from Tottenham, it would allow for Soares to move on.

Arsenal would pay a £5m fee to Sotton covering a loan fee as well as the 28-year-old's wages for the rest of the season. It would allow them to have the chance to take a closer look at Soares and be in pole position to move for him when he becomes a free agent.

Why Arsenal should sign him?

The former Sporting Lisbon defender has come under attention from Mikel Arteta as Calum Chambers will miss the rest of the campaign, leaving Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as the Gunners’ only options at the right-hand side.

But Bellerin’s fitness has been a concerning factor since his return from an ACL tear while Maitland-Niles is not a natural full-back. Hence, bringing in Soares would surely shore up the right side of the back four.

Moreover, the Portuguese fullback is comfortable playing in left-back also and adding him would offer depth at both positions given Tierney is out for the rest of the season and Kolasinac having frequent injury issues.

Moreover, the price suggested is also a big factor for Arsenal, who would fancy bringing in someone without creating a hole in their budget.