Arsenal: Cedric Soares a long-term springboard for two

Arsenal are loading up on another fullback, Cedric Soares, and while it may seem mundane, this serves as a springboard for two key players.

Arsenal‘s fullback situation is about to get a lot fuller with the addition of Cedric Soares. But it’s also about to get emptier in a key way, springing the release of two players serving as fullbacks who probably would prefer not to play as fullbacks any longer.

On the surface, the Cedric Soares loan may seem like a surplus to requirement. A desperation move caused by multiple injuries. Between Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the right and Sead Kolasinac, Kieran Tierney and now Bukayo Saka on the left, what’s the point in another name? Especially one as experienced and proven as Soares?

That’s an easy question. The point is to level the playing field and release the futures of two of those guys to the positions they actually want to play in.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka are not fullbacks. But due to moments of desperation, they had both been wrangled into the job, and they’d performed admirably.

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However, given that they are both young, incredibly talented, and hungry to get back to their usual positions, Arsenal have done brilliantly in bringing in someone as reliable as Cedric Soares.

Soares is primarily a rightback, so he can slip right in and compete with Hector Bellerin, thus sparing Ainsley Maitland-Niles and letting him revert his attention back to central midfield or even right wing. In desperation, he can still play rightback, but it’s not a primary directive.

On the left, Since Kolasinac and Tierney are both out at the moment, Soares can immediately start over there, opposite a healthy Bellerin, and let Saka get back to his attacking duties on the wings.

That’s why this move is so brilliant. When at full health, we will have Soares and Bellerin on the right and Tierney and Kolasinac on the left. Soares can float between the two sides when and if it’s necessary. Meanwhile, Maitland-Niles and Saka are unencumbered to pursue their most preferred positions. Thus, Soares hasn’t just provided immediate stability for a few years (assuming we sign him permanently, which we should), he has also potentially sprung the futures of two of our most talented young players.

Hard to do much more with a single transfer than that. Soares is a stroke of brilliance across the board. Well played.