Prior to the summer transfer window closing, football.londonrevealed the experienced defender was among several senior players whom the Gunners were open to offers for. And as things played out, Arthur Okonkwo, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Kieran Tierney and Albert Sambi Lokonga all departed one way or another.
Furthermore, despite no official confirmation from Arsenal, at the time of writing, Nicolas Pepe's move to Trabzonspor is complete. Not only have the Turkish Super Lig outfit been active on social media regarding the transfer but the winger took to Instagram to confirm the deal too.
So that leaves Cedric. Having returned from a loan spell with Fulham, the 32-year-old was hoping to stay and fight for his place at the Emirates Stadium this season, but the arrival of Jurrien Timber pushed him further down the pecking order and was left out of the travelling squad for USA pre-season tour due to a technical decision by Mikel Arteta.
Therefore, the full-back has been expected to seek pastures new. The problem is he's running out of potential destinations as despite attracting interest from Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP, a return to Portugal is off the table now that their transfer window has closed.
This leaves a move to Turkey as the one remaining realistic option should he wish to stay in Europe as Super Lig clubs can still make signings until next Friday. What this means is ultimately Cedric will soon receive clarity over his short-term future especially as Arsenal are poised to make a double squad announcement.
In the coming days, the Gunners will reveal their 25-man squads for the Premier League and Champions League. Thanks to a huge clearout during the summer to bring down the number of non-homegrown players to 14, the Portuguese defender can be named in both squads without a registration issue emerging.
This scenario would indicate Cedric is staying put until January at the latest. And considering the one concern coming out of the transfer window is the Arsenal's defensive depth perhaps he will be handed a lifeline to provide cover at full-back with Timber sidelined after sustaining an ACL injury on his Premier League debut.
Alternatively, if the squads are submitted and Cedric is not included then it's a clear message that he's already played his final game for the club - barring a U-turn - but whether he can seal an exit remains to be seen
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