After the transfer window closed on Friday night, Everton’s summer of spending came to an end, but, according to a recent update from journalist James Olley, they pondered buying a Premier League player.
Everton, how was your summer?
The Blues were involved in a relegation battle once more last season, but they managed to avoid it for a second consecutive season courtesy to a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at home on the penultimate day.
While there was relief and joy among the supporters at being in the top division, there was also a sense that this could not continue, especially with a transfer to a new stadium anticipated for next summer.
In order to give Sean Dyche’s squad the appropriate calibre, it was obvious that reinforcements were required during the summer transfer window, and several new faces have now arrived.
Arnaut Danjuma and Beto are two of them; the former joined on loan from Villarreal while the latter scored on his debut against Doncaster Rovers in the middle of the week. Together, they have been brought in to give much-needed talent to the attack.
It has since come to light, though, that Everton attempted to sign defender Cedric Soares from Arsenal late in the transfer window, but were unsuccessful.
Did Everton Attempt to sign Cedric Soares?
Olley stated that Everton and Olympiacos were both interested in signing Arsenal right back Cedric Soares on the final day of the transfer window in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning.
This week, Everton and Olympiacos both shown interest in Arsenal defender Cedric Soares. Nothing happened yesterday, but Olympiacos still has time to pursue him because the Greek transfer deadline is September 11.
Cedric would have undoubtedly been an unexpected addition for Everton this summer, so not getting him doesn’t seem like a great loss.
Since moving from Southampton to Arsenal, where he has made a total of 59 games since his debut in 2020, he hasn’t exactly created a splash.
The defender struggled to establish himself as a major player at Craven Cottage and was loaned out to Fulham midway through the previous season. He only made two Premier League starts during that time.
Cedric, who is 32 years old, is probably past his prime and would have merely been a squad option for Everton, so all things considered, it shouldn’t be considered a deal that fell through.
Despite this, the right-back still has some redeeming qualities, not the least of which is his vast quantity of experience at the highest level, having earned 34 caps for Portugal and making 164 Premier League games.
He is a person of quality who was once described as “magnificent” by journalist Jacob Steinberg when he was at Southampton.
Without Cedric moving to Goodison Park, Everton should be just fine at right-back. Nathan Patterson is a good and young first-choice option right now, and Ben Godfrey is maybe a player who can fill in there when necessary.
Cedric does not fit any of those criteria, therefore the Blues may have made a wise decision to pass on acquiring him. They need to be in a position to sign players who are at the height of their abilities or young players with high ceilings.
