Fulham have confirmed the signing of Cedric Soares from Arsenal on loan until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old right back signs after center back Shane Duffy turned his loan move from Brighton & Hove Albion into a permanent transfer.

Premier League rules required that Fulham turn one of their two existing Premier League loans into a permanent agreement, before they could make another loan signing.

Leeds winger Dan James is also at the club but Duffy had six months remaining on his contract at Brighton, and Fulham have turned the remaining months of his stay into a permanent deal.

Head coach Marco Silva had been eager to sign a right-back before the deadline to provide competition for Kenny Tete. He has worked with Cedric before during his season at Sporting Lisbon, in 2014-15.

Cedric’s transfer had stalled during the final week of the transfer window, with Fulham looking at alternative options including FC Twente right back Joshua Brenet.

But Cedric was always Fulham’s preferred target and any discussions with Brenet ended after a breakthrough was made with the Arsenal player.

Cedric, who is Portugal international with 34 caps, has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons at the Emirates. He has made a total of 38 Premier League appearances, scoring two goals.

He joined Arsenal in 2019 from Southampton, initially on loan.

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