Following the unfortunate injury of right-back Jurrien Timber, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been forced to consider alternative options, including a player who has been somewhat overlooked at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite narrowly missing out on their first Premier League title in almost two decades last season, Arsenal has shown no signs of slowing down and has made some impressive moves in the summer transfer window, spending around £200 million on four new players, including club-record signing Declan Rice from West Ham for a fee of approximately £105m.
However, one of their new signings, Timber, suffered an ACL tear during the opening day fixture against Nottingham Forest, leaving Arteta devastated and in search of alternatives. While central defenders and midfielder Thomas Partey have been used as makeshift full-backs, reporter Paul Brown has suggested that outcast Cedric Soares could be a viable option.Although Soares was heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal during the summer transfer window, Brown believes that he could still have a role to play this season.
“He isn’t a bad option as a backup full-back. Arsenal aren’t blessed with many full-backs and were looking for an extra one at the end of the window,” he said. “So, I think he gives them an option that people might have forgotten about, but I do think he could play this season.”Soares played just 28 minutes of Arsenal’s 2022/2023 season in the top flight, so his reintroduction into the team would be a significant move by Arteta.
However, with a solid start to the season, winning three out of their four opening league matches and remaining unbeaten, Arsenal seems to be coping well without Timber’s presence.
