One player now set to leave Arsenal has opened up about his relationship with supporters of the North London club.
Cedric Soares will leave Arsenal this summer as a free agent.
The right-back has been a bit-part player at the Emirates Stadium for a number of seasons and clearly does not feature in Mikel Arteta’s plans. As such, he will be departing the Emirates Stadium upon the expiry of his contract, having made just five appearances for the Gunners this season, across all competitions.
Since joining the North London club from Southampton in January 2020, initially on loan, the 32-year-old has made 64 appearances for the Gunners.
Cedric was never able to impress on a consistent basis at the Emirates Stadium though. However, his exit could still lead to issues as he was a valued figure behind the scenes. Cedric was one of the players Arteta turned to this season to lift the mood at the training ground whilst Arsenal suffered a slump in form.
Arsenal face having a dearth of experience in the dressing room next season. The loss of Cedric, as one of the senior figures in the group, will contribute to this problem. The likes of Leandro Trossard and David Raya, who are aged 29 and 28 respectively, will likely now be expected to step up and take on leadership roles.
Cedric Soares makes statement about Arsenal fanbase
In the meantime, Cedric has reflected upon his time at the club. Speaking on the 1 Para 1 podcast, the 34-cap former Portugal international gave his verdict on the Arsenal fanbase.
The full-back said: “Playing for a big club in England, a club like Arsenal, is fascinating, it’s an incredible feeling. Wherever you go in the world, there are Arsenal fans, it’s an unbelievable thing.”
Arsenal do indeed have a passionate global fanbase, who will all now be desperate to see the club kick on again after the progress they made this season.
Mikel Arteta plan for Arsenal overhaul
The Gunners were able to take the Premier League title race down to the wire this season. Ultimately, though, on the final day of the campaign, they were beaten to the title by Manchester City.
Arteta has since promised Arsenal fans that silverware is on the way. In order to achieve this aim, though, the Spanish coach needs to upgrade his squad again over the course of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Arsenal are planning to offload a number of players this summer, including Cedric, in order to make room for the arrivals who they hope will take the team to the next level.