CONFIRMED: Villarreal weigh up proposal for Arsenal defender Cedric Soares

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 15 Dec 2023 14:46 GMT
• 3 min read

Confirmed

Villarreal are considering a move for Arsenal defender Cedric Soares and there is a chance that a proposal may be offered in early January, FootballTransfers has been told.

Sources inform us that interest has been ongoing since the summer from the La Liga outfit - but a move never materlised.

Villarreal are hoping to bolster their side with an experienced player while Arsenal are open to a sale in the winter window, we understand, with the 32-year-old yet to make a Premier League appearance this season.

Cedric is an experienced and versatile player - he is capable of performing in both right and left-back positions.

He has participated in over 160 Premier League games and boasts experience in European competitions. The Portuguese international, who joined Arsenal from Southampton on an initial loan deal in 2020, was part of the European Championship-winning team in 2016.

Was Mikel Arteta punished for his comments on officials during the Newcastle game?

It comes after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has avoided punishment from the Football Association over comments he made about refereeing following his side’s 1-0 defeat by Newcastle last month.

Arteta called the video assistant referee's decision to allow the Magpies' winning goal at St James' Park a ‘disgrace’ in the post-match interview and he was subsequently charged with misconduct.

But the FA said that an independent Regulatory Commission found the charge to be not proven.

"It was alleged that his comments constituted misconduct in that they were insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or brought the game into disrepute," the FA added in a statement.

In the written reasons for the charge not being proven, it was revealed Arteta claimed that: "The word 'disgrace'...'has a very similar spelling and pronunciation to the Spanish 'desgracia'.

"The Spanish word has connotations of misfortune, tragedy or bad luck rather than the connotations of the English equivalent which suggest contempt, dishonour or disrespect.

"While the English meaning may lead to interpretations of abuse or insult, this was not the intended meaning."