Arsenal Transfer Rumor: Cedric Soares loaned to Fulham

Cedric Soares completed his loan down the road from Arsenal to Fulham. It’s a dry loan for the Portuguese fullback, with the Cottagers covering his salary for the remainder of the season. The move didn’t go through until almost the 11th hour because Fulham had to finalize the full purchase of the on-loan Shane Duffy from Brighton & Hove Albion to free up a loaned player registration spot.

Cedric’s stint in North London has been an odd one. His loan from Southampton made a bit of sense because he provided cheap, veteran cover for a thin squad. But signing him to a longer term contract was strange. He may have been at or around Arsenal’s level at the time (a knock on the club), but he wasn’t at the level to which Mikel Arteta aspired. He wasn’t suited for more than a backup’s backup role, which we were painfully reminded of, much to our chagrin, down the stretch last season when Cedric was forced into starter’s minutes.

Apparently his countryman Marco Silva really wanted him at Fulham, which is fine from an Arsenal perspective. It saves the Gunners the cost of Cedric’s £75K-100K per week wages. His contract is up at the end of next season, summer 2024. If he isn’t sold before then, he’ll leave on a free.

I hope he has a great half-season at Craven Cottage. At least he won’t have to move house. Marco Silva clearly sees something in Cedric that I don’t. Maybe he can help Fulham take some points off Manchester City in late April.