Cedric Soares situation explained as defender is still without a club after leaving Arsenal

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All in all, after signing for Arsenal in 2020, Cedric Soares amassed 64 appearances for the club, grabbing two goals and providing five assists.

Cedric was one of Mikel Arteta’s first signings at Arsenal, a player who came in to help the transition towards a new way of approaching games in north London.

The Portugal international was used predominantly as a right-back but was also capable on the left too, explaining why he served as an excellent squad player for the club.

However, as Arteta’s project continued to progress, Cedric was increasingly on the periphery of things, a player who Arsenal seemingly struggled to sell because of his lofty wage.

The Gunners signed Cedric as free agent after an initial loan from Southampton, explaining why his pay-packet was slightly inflated.

Why has Cedric Soares still a free agent after leaving Arsenal?

All that being said, after Arsenal said goodbye to Cedric in July, the 33-year-old is still a free agent.

And to that end, Arsenal Insider understands that Cedric is not short of interest in terms of finding a new club, but simply seems to be biding his time to make the right choice.

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It appears likely that the defender is waiting until January to find his next opportunity, with a move to Turkey or Saudi Arabia currently most likely.

It was also reported in the summer that Brazilian club Botafogo were interested in signing Cedric, a Portuguese speaker who could still thrive at that level.

Mikel Arteta once claimed that Cedric Soares was one of the best at Arsenal

Speaking at a press conference back in 2020, shortly after Cedric signed for Arsenal, Arteta was once very complimentary about the full-back.

Arteta claimed that Cedric was the best final third decision-maker of all the defenders at the club, which is perhaps a sign of how Arsenal have come in the last four years. 

Arteta said: “He’s a different quality in the full-back area than what we have.

“He’s a gifted, technical player and is probably the best we have in the final third to make the right decision and attack the box as well.

“He can play in a four or a five, he’s a really good player with experience in the Premier League that can help us.”