Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has claimed that Cedric Soares had problems with his attitude at the club.
Cedric completed a loan move to Arsenal on deadline day, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Le Tissier says that he had spells where his attitude affected his performances for the Saints, but also adds that he is a good player when in the right state of mind.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (12:51pm, February 1, 2020), Le Tissier said:
When his head is in the right place, he is a good player. He had had spells where the attitude probably hasn’t been quite as good as it should have been. Certainly when he is on it, he is a decent right-back.
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It is interesting to see Le Tissier dig out Cedric, especially given that he is technically still contracted to Southampton until the summer. He clearly feels that Cedric has let himself down at times with his attitude, although he does not expand on his point and explain why he thinks that.
It could simply be that Le Tissier does not believe Cedric worked hard enough for the team, although he has put up impressive statistics this season for the Saints.
Cedric has recorded a WhoScored rating of 6.76 in the Premier League, his highest average rating since the 2016/17 season for Southampton. This suggests that he has been able to up his game this term, but the club still decided to allow him to leave to join the Gunners, although his contract situation could have played a part in that decision.
However, if Cedric was having trouble with his attitude then it could be a good move to let him leave St. Mary’s. Having a bad influence in the dressing room could cause problems for Ralph Hasenhuttl, although there has been nothing – other than Le Tissier’s comments, to suggest that this was the case.
