While Edu Gaspar and his negotiation team will have all the time this summer to conduct ongoing and incoming business, as all focus will be temporarily shifted to the forthcoming European Championships, with the Gunners having some of its contingent in the mundial. However, one player that certainly wouldn’t be part of the Euros, will be Cedric Soares, who was a vital part of the Portuguese team that won the Euros in 2016. Cedric’s last appearance for Portugal was as far back as 2021, and at 32, he’s unlikely to feature for his nation.
At club football, he has found games hard to come by, making a meager 64 appearances in four-and-a-half seasons at Arsenal, and as expected, his contract runs out this summer, like Mohamed Elneny, and Arsenal has no plans whatsoever to renew his deal. Cedric has confirmed that his future is up in the air, and he would be working with his agent to seek greener pastures elsewhere,
“Right now, I’m very focused on my career. I want to keep playing for many more years. My goal now is to find the right team where I can continue to be competitive, be on the field, and do what I love most.”
“Now, it’s about getting together with the family, my agent, analyzing what will be on the table for the next season.
“Everything is a bit up in the air. I don’t have any certainties yet, but I will analyze, and understand where the best solution for me to continue my career is. That’s what I’m going to focus on.”
It’s evident that it must have been very difficult for him, training week in, week out, only to get a spot on the bench with his seat belt reserved. Cedric started only one game this season, the dead-rubber UEFA Champions League group stage clash with PSV Eindhoven, while he came on as a substitute in seven other appearances. Having featured in Portugal, Italy, albeit one season, and predominantly in England, Cedric is a well-known name in the beautiful game and I’m sure he would have no hassles finding a new club for his services. The main challenges would be his wages, as he would need to accept a pay cut to continue plying his trade.
I wish him the very best in his future endeavors and in all honesty, he will not be missed.
One potential gem making the headlines is the youngster, Mika Biereth, that has been very impressive in his latest loan spell at Sturm Graz, to the point where the Austrian higher ups have scheduled a meeting with Arsenal for a potential acquisition,
“Yes, we want to try to sign Mika permanently,” Sturm Graz Sporting Director Andreas Schicker told Kurier.
“There is an appointment with Arsenal next week. Maybe they will quote a price that would be feasible for us. We can push our limits a little higher for a player like that.”
In 22 appearances for Sturm Graz, Biereth scored nine goals, securing Champions League football for the team in the process. The young Dane showed his prowess earlier in the season, scoring six goals in 15 appearances for Motherwell in Scotland.
According to Football League World, Biereth is also under the radar of Championship outfit, Sheffield Wednesday. The English club actually went for Biereth last winter, when he returned from Motherwell, but the Arsenal hierarchy favored the move to Austria instead. With Biereth back in the club, Edu and his team will welcome a bidding war for his services and hopefully, Arsenal can fetch a decent fee for his services. The young lad never featured for Arsenal, but in 50 appearances across three clubs out on loan, he has amassed 17 goals. I’m certain he would favor the move to Sturm Graz, as he was a regular there, scored a hatful of goals and will be opportuned to feature in Europe’s elite competition next season, so it’s a no brainer.
Sayonara.
Follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily.
Visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page.
Click on the “Follow button” to join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List
