Arsenal are on the verge of their first movement of the January transfer window as veteran full-back Cedric Soares is set to join Fulham.
Cedric, who was left out of Portugal’s World Cup squad, was Mikel Arteta’s second signing when he took charge of the club, following Pablo Mari to the Emirates Stadium in the 2020 January transfer window.
But, he has never really nailed down a spot in the Gunner’s first team, making 59 appearances across three seasons for the north London outfit, and has rarely been seen in the last 18 months.
And as per TalkSport, the Cottagers are ‘close to sealing’ a deal with Arsenal that will see Cedric depart The Emirates Stadium and move across to Craven Cottage in January.
The 31-year-old has seen just 119 minutes of first-team action so far this campaign across four outings, with just 27 of those minutes coming in the Premier League.
Ben White, shifted out from his more conventional central defensive role, has made the right-back spot in Mikel Arteta’s side his own, while Takehiro Tomiyasu was effectively his deputy for the first part of the season as he battled back from injury.
Longer-term, there is also academy graduate Brooke Norton Cuffy, who is currently on loan with Championship side Rotherham and who Arsenal’s staff and fans alike have high hopes form, with the 19-year-old part of England’s successful European Championship over the summer.
Should the deal go through as planned, Cedric will link up with former Gunners Willian and Bernd Leno under Marco Silva, with Fulham currently defying expectations and sitting in a lofty 9th place in the Premier League, six points clear of the relegation zone and just two off a European spot.
