Why Celtic should sign Cedric Soares from Southampton
According to Daily Record, Swedish side AIK wants to bring Mikael Lustig back to his homeland after his contract runs out with Scottish champions Celtic at the end of this season. It is believed that the 31-year-old is willing to return to his native country and AIK are on top of the list of clubs he could sign for.
The right-back has been a key player for the Hoops over the past few years, however, his form has dipped this campaign. As a result, he is considered as a weak link in Brendan Rodgers’ side. (Daily Record)
AIK Sporting Director Bjorn Wesstrom insisted that a potential deal is on for the Sweden international. (Daily Record)
Hence, it is about time that Celtic look for options and buy a quality player to take that right-back position. They should raid Southampton and get Euro 2016 winner Cedric Soares. Here’s why:
Cedric Soares’ quality would come in handy
Soares has been a consistent figure for the Saints since 2015, featuring in over 100 games for the club. He has always been a good performer at right-back, defensively very strong and good enough going forward.
He was a part of the Portugal squad that did the unthinkable and won the Euro 2016,l. Therefore, we can adhere to the fact that Cedric possesses big game experience and that his qualities are very good to improve Celtic.
It’s true that the 27-year-old’s form hasn’t been up to the scratch this season under Mark Hughes, but it is just a bad patch that will go away sooner than later. A player’s propensities don’t go away if he is having a bad run of games, and same is the case with Cedric.
It is fairly evident that Celtic need a right-back, irrespective of whether Lustig stays or not. They probably require someone who is defensively strong in the first place. And on that front, the Portuguese right-back is an ideal option.
The 27-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of next season, hence, the Hoops can get him by next summer in a cut-price deal. From the player’s point of view, playing for a struggling club like Southampton won’t suffice and he should look for a big move elsewhere. And Celtic is a good place to start with.