Report: Arsenal enquired about Champions League captain, put off by price

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The Guardian have claimed in their deadline-day blog (Friday, 10.11am) that Arsenal made an enquiry for Olympiacos and Norway captain Omar Elabdeallaoui – but were put off the price, instead signing Cedric Soares.

The Gunners were keen to bring a right-back to the club and were interested in signing Olympiacos star Elabdellaoui, 28, who played in all six Champions League matches against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade.

The Norwegian is out of contract at the end of the season and Arsenal were keen to land him, making an enquiry. However, they were told to pay a fee clearly more than they wanted to – and instead have confirmed a loan deal for Soares from Southampton.

Soares is believed to have signed for an initial £1million loan fee, which could rise to as much as £3million. It is believed thet the Euro 2016 winner is also set to agree a permanent deal in the summer, given his Saints contract expires in June.

TBR’s view – Cedric a better player than Elabdellaoui

Signing Elabdellaoui would have been a risk. Although a decent player in the Champions League, Elabdealloui has struggled in England – failing to break into Manchester City’s side during a spell there and struggling at Hull City.

However, Cedric has impressed for Southampton since joining the club, boasting plenty of Premier League experience and attracting huge interest from the likes of Barcelona during his Saints spell. A Euro 2016 winner, Cedric is the better player.