Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explains reason behind Cedric Soares' disappointment

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly said that Cedric Soares is disappointed to not make an impression at the Emirates owing to his knee injury. Soares signed for Arsenal on a loan deal from Southampton but is trying to regain match fitness and because of that, he has not been part of the first-team training sessions.

Arteta hoping for Cedric Soares to be fit in time

According to reports, Arteta is hoping for the right-back to be match fit in the period of the next two weeks but is still not sure about when Soares will play his first match for Arsenal. The Arsenal manager said that the defender is not happy because when a player joins a new club he wants to make a lasting impression straight away but that has failed to happen in Soares' case.

According to reports, Arteta said that Soares' knee has not completely healed and he had also not been training with the squad so a definite date for the defender to make his debut is still not clear. The former Southampton player had said that signing for Arsenal was a dream come true for him and is keen to prove his worth to the new manager.

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Arsenal sign Pablo Mari to fix fragile defence

Arsenal also secured the services of Pablo Mari on a loan deal during the January transfer window to fix their fragile defence. The centre-back has not been part of a competitive game since December 2019 and most likely will not be a part in Arsenal's Premier League match against Newcastle on February 16.

Although, Mikel Arteta is hoping for Pablo Mari to make a return in their UEFA Europa League match against Olympiacos to be played at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium on February 20.

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson has reportedly urged manager Mikel Arteta to acquire a holding midfielder and a centre-back in the summer transfer window. The January transfer window was relatively quiet for the Gunners as Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari on a loan deal for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

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