Chelsea transfer target Cedric Soares: Who the hell are you, Vol. 8
By George Perry
Cedric Soares made a well-timed debut Chelsea’s transfer rumour mill on Monday. The Blues could do much worse than the Southampton defender, especially at £15 million.
Chelsea giving a closer look to Southampton’s right full-back Cedric Soares, as their options for a new wing-back dwindle and their need for defensive reinforcements rises. Virgil van Dijk overshadows Cedric both on the Southampton pitch and in the transfer market. But with Cedric’s transfer fee being barely one-third of Van Dijk’s, Chelsea may have found another hidden gem in late August.
Cedric made 30 starts at right-back last season, his second at Southampton. Before coming to St. Mary’s he had spent his entire career at Sporting in his native Portugal.
Cedric averages just under three tackles and three interceptions per game for the Saints. He has yet to score a senior-level goal in either country, but had three assists last season. More importantly, he was fourth on the club and top amongst defenders for key passes, with 1.3 per game.
Must Read: Chelsea wait for Everton, Juventus to complete business before making next bid
The Chelsea players Cedric most resembles are Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, which makes him a perfect candidate to challenge Victor Moses for right wing-back. Like Azpilicueta, Cedric draws his man down to the last split second before putting in a perfectly-timed and placed leg for the tackle. He never rushes or panics as he rides a forward’s shoulder, then sweeps the ball away just as the forward is about to make a play. Cedric is equally strong doing this on the touchline as he is above the box to break up a press in progress.
Cedric matches the defensive skills with Alonso’s passing. Cedric can rifle in a cross from a high position, or curl in a long ball into the box from his own defensive line. Now that Chelsea have a true target man (or two) that can play the ball out of the air, they have a place for a passer like him.
Cedric would not be an immediate addition to the XI. He might not even make the match-day squad for over a month. He would need the sort of mid-length retraining that Victor Moses underwent last season. However, that span would put him in the mix for Carabao Cup games and the end of the Champions League group stage.
Victor Moses’ greatest weaknesses – defence and long passing – are Cedric’s strengths. As much as creating competition for the job, Cedric would offer a different tactical profile for Antonio Conte. Despite being a full-back by trade, Cedric would provide a different offensive aspect than Moses.
Next: Chelsea are hardly alone: Top five rivals all facing crisis, drama and tension
Cedric and Marcos Alonso would give Chelsea a symmetric attack from the flanks, with balls floating and whipping in to Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi. Particularly against a tightly-packed defence – the Stoke City’s and West Brom’s of the world – this would give Chelsea an effective way to get the ball into the box, and let it land, bounce and go where it may.