Arsenal: Cedric Soares signing comedic, but still not catastrophic

Arsenal are increasingly being laughed at for their loan acquisition of Cedric Soares. But while the move may seem comedic, it is not catastrophic as some would have you believe.

It is not unusual that Arsenal should be the laughing stock of the football world. They have been plenty of times before, and they will be plenty of times again. And this January, it seems as though their transfer business is drawing quite the derision.

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Last week, the Gunners signed Southampton full-back Cedric Soares on a six-month loan. The 28-year-old entered the final six months of his contract and was expected to leave the Saints on a free transfer at the end of the year, but Raul Sanllehi and co. saw an opportunity to sign a serviceable defender who can provide depth at several needy positions on the cheap. So they took it.

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Admittedly, the move came as a shock to many. It is a little disconcerting to see Arsenal signing players from a middling Premier League team on loan. It should, if anything, be the other way around. But the need was significant and, with the finances of the club already stretched to their limit after extensive summer investment, there was little money to solve the problem. The club had to get inventive, and so they went outside the box.

Apparently, though, such creative, curveball thinking is too odd for nominal thinking. In fact, even Southampton were caught off-guard by the approach. As David Ornstein reported in his Monday morning column in The Athletic, Cedric’s move to the Emirates is difficult to wrap your head around for many, including Southampton themselves:

"“As deadline week drew closer, news of Arsenal’s interest surfaced and Southampton could hardly believe it was true. They saw barely any logic in the approach and put it down to certain relationships between Arsenal and Soares’s people, yet there were no complaints from the south coast.”"

Now, while I accept that I was certainly take aback when Cedric’s name first surfaced as a serious proposition, and although there is certainly a comedic element to the signing, especially given that he arrived in a knee brace, which is not ideal, it does not make it a catastrophic signing. In fact, Cedric is a rather astute and necessary acquisition.

If you do not count Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka as full-backs, which Mikel Arteta doesn’t, there is currently one fit and available full-back in the squad, Hector Bellerin, who is not exactly blessed with the more consistent bill of health. Kieran Tierney will not be match-fit until April at best, Sead Kolasinac will be out until after the winter break, while Cedric offers depth at both positions until the end of the season. All for £5 million.

It is a groundbreaking addition? No. But it is a comical, catastrophic one? No, it isn’t. In fact, for the price and the need, especially given the club’s financial restrictions, it is actually quite smart.