Former Arsenal defender Cedric Soares has agreed to join Sao Paulo, though he’ll be signing on a rather unusual three-month contract.
Almost seven months on from his Arsenal departure, Cedric Soares is reportedly set to join a new club. Andre Hernan reports that Cedric and Sao Paulo FC have reached an agreement for a three-month contract, and the deal should be signed within hours.
The player has given his go-ahead and is reportedly really keen to return to action. Though he’s only committing for three months at this stage, he very much intends to stay for longer.
Cedric recently told The Athletic about the difficulties of being a free agent for a while, saying: “My main target is still to play. I think it’s too early now to retire. I’m fit and, thank God, I have had no serious injuries.
“When you have not played, the other teams have doubts. How is he? Is he playing good? Why didn’t he play?
“I wanted to immediately find a good project. I had some stuff in the beginning of the market which I didn’t take and then I had some things I was not really excited about. Now I had this break, I want to start as soon as possible.”
Let’s have a look at where Arsenal’s other released players ended up after last summer.
Goalkeepers
Senior goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo spent last season on loan with Wrexham, and he’s now joined the club permanently.
Youth goalkeepers Noah Cooper, Ovie Ejeheri, Hubert Graczyk, and James Hillson also departed.
Cooper joined Stoke City, Ejeheri moved for Midtylland in Denmark, Graczyk stayed in the Premier League with Manchester United, and Hillson signed for Salisbury FC.
Defenders
Arsenal’s second senior player to leave the club was Cedric Soares, and he’s now closing in on a move for Sao Paulo. Youth left-back Henry Jeffcott is still on the hunt for a new club.
Luis Brown stayed in the Premier League with West Ham United, whilst Reuell Walters dropped down a division to sign for Luton Town.
Alex Kirk signed for Sutton United, and James Sweet penned a deal with St. Albans City. Taylor Foran joined Bromley FC in League Two.
Midfielders
The final senior player to leave Arsenal was Mohamed Elneny, and he joined Al Jazira in the UAE Pro League.
Catalin Cirjan moved back to Romania to sign for FC Dinamo, whilst Mauro Bandeira signed for Slovenian side NK Tabor Sezana.
Forwards
Both Omari Benjamin and Amario Cozier-Duberry got Premier League moves, joining Everton and Brighton respectively. Cozier-Duberry has since gone out on loan to Blackburn Rovers.
Tyreece John-Jules recently signed for Crawley Town, and Kamarni Ryan joined Burnley. With Taylor-Hart joining PAS Giannina, Henry Timi Davies is the final free agent.