This would have come from nowhere at Goodison Park.
Everton's summer of spending is over after the transfer window closed on Friday night, but they considered signing a Premier League player, according to a new update from journalist James Olley.
The Blues again found themselves in a relegation battle last season, ultimately surviving by the skin of their teeth for the second year in a row, thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Bournemouth on the final day.
While there was happiness and relief at staying in the top flight among the fanbase, there was also a feeling that this cannot afford to keep happening, especially with a move to a new stadium expected to take place next summer.
It was clear that reinforcements were needed during the summer transfer window in order to give Sean Dyche the desired quality in his squad, and a number of new faces have arrived.
They include Arnaut Danjuma and Beto, who have come in to add much-needed quality to the attack, with the former joining on loan from Villarreal and the latter scoring on his debut against Doncaster Rovers in midweek.
However, it has emerged that Everton tried – and failed – to bring in defender Cedric Soares from Arsenal late on in the window.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning, Olley claimed that Everton considered making a move for Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares on deadline day, with Olympiacos also seen as potential suitors:
"Everton and Olympiacos showed some interest in Arsenal defender Cedric Soares this week. Didn't materialise into anything yesterday but still time for Olympiacos if they choose to pursue him – Greek transfer deadline is September 11."
Cedric would certainly have been a surprise signing for Everton this summer, and in truth, missing out on him doesn't feel like a huge blow.
Indeed, he hasn't exactly set the world alight since making the move from Southampton to Arsenal, where he has made a total of 59 appearances since his debut in 2020.
The defender was loaned out to Fulham midway through last season and only started twice in the Premier League, as he struggled to become a key man at Craven Cottage.
At 32 years of age, Cedric's best days are likely to be behind him, so he would only have been coming in as a squad option for Everton, so all in all, it shouldn't be seen as one that got away.
That being said, the right-back does still possess some positive attributes, not least having a huge amount of experience at the top level, winning 34 caps for Portugal and making 164 appearances in the Premier League.
Journalist Jacob Steinberg once called him "magnificent" during his Southampton days, and is someone who has quality going forward.
Everton should be just fine at right-back without Cedric making the move to Goodison Park, with Nathan Patterson a solid and young first-choice option at the moment, while Ben Godfrey is arguably a player who can fill in in that position when needed.
The Blues need to be in a position where they are signing players at the peak of their powers or youngsters with high ceilings, and neither of those things applies to Cedric, so not signing him could turn out to be a good decision from the club.
Henry is an experienced football writer with a huge passion and knowledge of the game.
With over a decade of writing under his belt, he has been part of Snack Media’s freelance team since 2020. He is also a main contributor for This Is Anfield, one of the world’s biggest Reds-related sites, where he writes features and news, and covers matchday content, from live blogs to the dreaded Player Ratings.
Henry is a Liverpool fan, which you may have guessed, and has also written articles for the Times and the Guardian, as well as featured on the radio on BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC.
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