It's been a long road to bring Arsenal back to the precipice of Premier League glory for Mikel Arteta, and while he's generally got transfers right in his time, there have certainly been some duds along the way.
The Spaniard has brought in brilliant players like Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz, but he has also signed the likes of Pablo Mari, Willian, and Runar Alex Runarsson.
That said, most of his lacklustre purchases have been sold on or released to free up space for better players to come in, apart from one early signing now worth nine times less than Ben White.
Cédric Soares Arsenal career
As one of Arteta's first signings, Cédric Soares moved to Arsenal on a six-month loan deal from Southampton in January 2020 before joining the Gunners on a permanent deal in August of the same year alongside fellow January loanee, Mari.
Due to a severe knee injury, the then-28-year-old only made five appearances for the north Londoners in his loan spell, in which he scored one goal. However, in his first full season at the club, he would go on to play a more significant role, making 24 appearances, although he couldn't nail down the position.
It was a similar story the following season. Despite making 26 appearances, the former Saints ace still found himself spending a lot of time on the bench, although considering that his performance against Liverpool in April of that season left Arsenal great Tony Adams feeling "scared," it was probably for the best.
Appearances
64
Average Appearances per Season
14
Goals
2
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.10
With the writing clearly on the wall, the Portuguese full-back joined Fulham on loan for the latter half of last season. This term, he has been limited to just five appearances and hasn't even made the matchday squad on multiple occasions.
So, with a rather underwhelming body of work at the club and no path back into the first team, it's not surprising that his valuation is so low.
Cédric Soares valuation in 2024
According to the CIES Football Observatory, Cédric is now worth just €5m, which converts to £4m.
1
Ben White
€40m (£34m)
2
Jakub Kiwior
€30m (£26m)
3
Oleksandr Zinchenko
€20m (£17m)
4
Jurrien Timber
€15m (£13m)
4
Takehiro Tomiyasu
€15m (£13m)
5
Cédric Soares
€5m (£4m)
This dreadful valuation means he is the least valuable full-back at the club today.
As if that wasn't bad enough, he's priced around nine times cheaper than White, whom the CIES has priced at €40m or £34m.
It's a combination of his contract expiring this summer and a lack of game time that has led to the 32-year-old's woeful new price, while the Englishman's increasing importance to Arteta's system and brilliant performance this season is behind his ballooning worth.
For example, in his 50 appearances this season, the Poole-born "warrior", as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored four goals and provided five assists on top of his defensive duties, which have helped the Gunners create the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.
Moreover, while his right-back brother-in-arms has just a few months remaining on his contract, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man has just signed a new deal that has seen his wages rise to £150k-per-week and sees him tied to the club until 2028.
Ultimately, it's probably a good thing for all parties involved that Cédric's deal is set to expire in the summer. While he's a model professional, he hasn't succeeded at the club in any meaningful way, so with his valuation about as low as it could be, it's time he sailed off into the sunset come the end of June.
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