Cedric Soares' loan switch to Fulham from Arsenal is yet to be announced, but there is an explanation for the delay.
As reported by football.london, the experienced defender is on course to complete his loan move to the west London outfit by the end of last week. However, the transfer - albeit a temporary one - hasn't been confirmed, thus promoting some Gunners supporters to question if the 31-year-old could be staying put.
As a result, because this is only a loan deal, it's worth pointing out the rules in the Premier League Handbook for the 2022/23 season, specifically the restrictions on how many players Premier League clubs can loan from other Premier League/English clubs which are as follows.
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- Premier League clubs may not register more than two players on loan at any one time.
- The maximum number of loans registrable in the same season is four, and, under no circumstances, shall more than one be from the same club at any one time.
Premier League clubs cannot loan to another Premier League club a player they have acquired in the same transfer window.
A Premier League club may loan not more than one of its goalkeepers to another Premier League club.
*With the exception of Welsh clubs competing in the competitions listed under Rule V.6.2, loans from a club in membership of another National Association do not count towards the above quotas.
As things stand, only the first rule applies to Fulham, as they already have two players on loan from two different Premier League clubs in Daniel James and Shane Duffy from Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, which means they've used up their allocated quota.
Now, this doesn't mean a deal for Cedric can't be completed, although unless the Cottagers are planning to turn one of the aforementioned loans into a permanent transfer, then one has to be terminated in order for the 31-year-old to be registered in their Premier League squad.
football.london understands, Fulham are hoping to turn Duffy's loan deal into a permanent one and if and when that happens, they will get the green light to complete the signing of Cedric.
Where the Gunners will mostly benefit from this deal is with Fulham covering the defender's wages - which are estimated to be in the region of £100,000-per-week - in full, as Marco Silva gets his wish to be reunited with the 31-year-old having managed him at Sporting CP.
In truth, this move makes sense for all parties involved. For Arsenal, they are freeing up some money on the wage bill - even if it's only for a few months - Cedric has the chance to play regularly having been behind Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the pecking order this season, and the Cottagers gain an experienced player who offers versatility in both full-back positions.
It's been a busy month for the Gunners thus far with Arthur Okonkwo, Miguel Azeez, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Ovie Ejeheri being recalled from their respective loan spells before joining new clubs, whilst Harry Clarke has joined Ipswich Town on a permanent deal after his time with Stoke City came to an end.
Meanwhile, in terms of the Arsenal first-team squad, manager Mikel Arteta has bolstered his options across the forward line and in defence with the signings of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior for a combined fee of £42million.
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