Arsenal’s Cedric Soares talks to ESPN about the top four, Fabio Vieira and the fight for his place

BALTIMORE — Cedric Soares may have been at the club for more than two years, but he’s only now starting to feel like an Arsenal player.

The 30-year-old started 14 of the Gunners’ last 17 Premier League games last season, his best performance for the team since arriving on loan for the first six months from Southampton at the start of 2020.

When he made a free transfer this summer, Cedric would reasonably have expected to play a more prominent role, but a combination of injuries, new signings – notably Japan right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu – and Arsenal’s absence from European competition have complicated his path to regular first-team action .

Although last season ended with Arsenal narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification, Cedric’s increased involvement helped cement his relationship with both manager Mikel Arteta and the club itself. At one stage there was speculation that Cedric could leave, with Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid mooted as possible destinations, but such thoughts were not on his mind when he sat down for an exclusive interview during the Gunners’ pre-season tour of the United States.

“Arsenal has always been my dream club since I started playing at Southampton,” Cedric told ESPN. “I’ve always had the goal of going to Arsenal and that hasn’t changed. Of course, one is happier when one participates. To be included here in a huge club like this, with the project we have and the goals of the team fighting for, I want to be here. I feel much more established. I feel I have earned my place in the group and I want to continue to develop.”

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When Cedric last spoke at length to ESPN in November, he had played just five times in all competitions but cited his determination to fight for his place. That persistence paid off.

“In football you have to be patient but the key is how you prepare,” he said. “I continued to train well even when I wasn’t an option. That’s how I grew up and that’s how I was taught. It helped me have a great run of games and give a good response to the manager and the team.”

So, with Tomiyasu continuing to struggle with injury, is the right-back position now up for grabs?

“There’s never a guarantee in football,” Cedric said. “I’ve never had a coach guarantee me my position, so I’m not expecting that. I always expect a battle for position, but the success of the team is most important. Of course we kind of challenge each other on the pitch during the week, but at the weekend we’re together, helping each other, talking about the opponent we’re up against.”

This attitude encapsulates the cultural overhaul Arteta is implementing at Arsenal. Disgruntled players have been jettisoned, a focus on youth has increased and Arteta is attempting to restore a level of discipline that has declined in the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign and only briefly rebounded during Unai Emery’s 18-month spell in charge.

Therefore, Cedric plays a key role behind the scenes as one of the senior players setting the tone for the next generation. Last season’s inconsistencies during the clash were symptomatic of a young team learning their trade: three straight defeats, followed by four straight wins, followed by two more damaging defeats, combined to form a rollercoaster that in ultimately failed to reach the heights of the top four.

“Going through those situations is where it helps them grow,” Cedric said. “Maybe it helps them if it happens this season, we don’t have to have the same reaction at times. Some of the reactions we’ve had, positive ones, we have to keep them.

“That’s where the experience comes in: OK, automatically it’s, ‘I’ve been in this situation before, how can I react now, how can I help the team?'” We also have responsibilities. They are much more prepared this season and our idea is much more solid because they have all trained under Mikel for a longer period with a very clear idea. I think everyone knows what to do more or less on the field, which is important.

“[Helping the younger players] it should be natural. It’s not something you should force. Obviously, you are not the same as everyone else. Everyone needs different things. You are closer to one, maybe you can give him a more honest opinion. With another you can push him so sometimes you have to challenge them.

“It depends on the moment. It’s not when everything is fine, it’s more when something happens or suddenly you have a loss and you have to play another game, an important one, and they’re nervous or they don’t want to take responsibility.”

Cedric was a key figure in helping his compatriot Fabio Vieira adapt to the new environment, easing the language barrier.

The 22-year-old arrived from Porto in a €40m deal, a sudden and decisive move for a player with just one top-flight season under his belt in Portugal but still showing enough potential to attract formative interest from a number of Europe’s top clubs — he registered six goals and 11 assists from 27 league appearances.

Vieira is slight of build and relatively short at 5-foot-7. He was also hampered during the preseason by a foot problem, but Cedric believes he will acclimate quickly.

“He has a similar mentality to me, which is great to see,” Cedric said. “I’m helping him get settled. Fabio is a very intelligent player from what I saw in Portugal. I’ve never played with him, but from what I’ve seen, analyzing the games and watching his performances, he’s had a really good season. It has a fantastic quality. He is a technical player with quality and ability. There is a lot of vision for the final pass as well. That quality that you look for a lot in players, I think Fabio has it. I’m sure he’ll adapt quickly, he’s smart, you know?

“When you’re not the strongest physically, you have to be smart in the Premier League. I’m sure he will adapt very well to the Premier League, I have no doubts. [The physicality of English football] it’s a big change, but I’ve personally adapted pretty well and I’m not the tallest. With Fabio, first of all, he has a lot of courage to play. That to me is quality. Second, I see him as a very intelligent player.

“Of course he is still very young so I am sure he will grow over the years in the Premier League. What is intense for him is that maybe the pace of the Premier League will be much faster than the pace of the league in Portugal. is something he’ll have time to adjust to, but you can’t change it.”

A positive start for Vieira would help Arsenal build on from last season, with a domestic campaign boosted by the return of Europa League football. But Cedric believes the goal is clear.

“I think a club like Arsenal wants to fight [the top four] and right now the group is more experienced, the project is very clear, the coach’s idea is very clear,” he said. “I think we should have that goal.”