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Mikel Arteta is willing to stop the sale of Cedric Soares in January after the defender expressed a desire to leave the club in search of regular game time.
THE LOWDOWN: SQUAD PLAYER AT BEST
Soares joined Arsenal in 2020 at the behest of Arteta but has been unable to cement himself as a starter at the North London club. He has been a good squad player and has put in some strong performances when called on.
The 31-year-old played 50 times in his first two full seasons but has fallen even further down the pecking order with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White now the first choices of Arteta in the right-back department.
This has relegated the former Southampton man to just four appearances across all competitions this term and only one as a starter.
At 31, Soares is closer to the end of his career than he is to his prime and needs more game time to stay sharp. He also missed out of Portugal’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad because of a lack of game time after playing in the 2018 edition.
However, Arteta is reported to be unwilling to let any Arsenal player leave in January because he wants to maintain his squad dynamic as he chases a first Premier League title for the club since 2003/04.
THE LATEST: TRANSFER STANCE AHEAD OF JANUARY
Sky Sports’ Michael Bridge broke the news about Cedric wanting to leave in January. He claims there is plenty of interest in the former Southampton star. Cedric, meanwhile, spoke about his situation at Arsenal.
“I have been working hard every day, as this is the only way I know to get where you want to be,” the 31-year-old said.
“Of course I want to play and I want to help the team to win and achieve its goals and I will grab the opportunity when I get it.
“I feel I am in great shape and I am always 100 per cent ready to help the team.”
Arteta has responded and stated that Cedric will get more game time in the new year. He said: “The competition is one thing, the second one is because he was injured for a while.
“He had a recurring injury but now he is fully fit and he’s a player that deserves to play and I want to give him the minutes because he deserves it.”
THE VERDICT: RIGHT CALL
Arsenal are making a legit title charge and Mikel Arteta will need all hands on deck if he hopes to lead his side all the way. Soares might not be a starter in the Premier League but other competitions will come and there will be chances to play.
With the World Cup well underway in Qatar, Arteta will now be hoping not to have any injuries from the tournament as the coming games are very vital to their chances of shocking the league and reclaiming the title.
