Nuno Tavares signed for Arsenal at the start of last season from Portuguese side, Benfica for a fee of £7million. The left back came in as a back-up option to Kieran Tierney, playing 28 times in all competitions last season for the Gunners, scoring one goal & grabbing two assists.
This season with the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko his situation changed and the 23-year-old was allowed to go out on loan to Marseille in France.
Ever since being at Marseille, Nuno Tavares has played mainly as left-wing back, which seems to be working well for the player. His everlasting stamina and pace has allowed him to transom into a successful winger in France.
As the pacey Portuguese continues to make serious progress in France, putting in performance after performance, Tavares has personally spoken about his future beyond this current season via Goal. Despite being in fine form and being much loved in the south-of-France, he’s expressed his ambition to return to Arsenal are the end of his loan spell:
“Everyone knows that I still have two years left with Arsenal on my contract. We’ll finish the season. I’m here until the end of the season to reach our objectives with Marseille.
At the end of the season, I will return to Arsenal. I can’t say much more.”
Want to read more? Arsenal closely watching young Spanish talent.
He also added to the interview that he ‘feels good’ at Marseille and gets along with the squad, but goes on to say he won’t stay put at Marseille beyond his loan spell.
Nuno Tavares joined the Gunners from Benfica over two years ago as a young player with raw talent that still needed to be worked on. He signed a long-term contract meaning he had eyes on Arsenal from the start and it appears the Portuguese player will try his up-most hardest to be a success in North London.
Tavares has always said that he needs to work on his defensive game, due to being caught out on numerous occasions last season, but with game-time at Marseille will come experience and with experience will come better defensive attributes. He’s not the finished product by any means.
Arsenal didn’t want to put a buy option on the Marseille loan which clearly indicates the fact they want the player back next season.
His form at the French club will give Arsenal fans a lot to be excited about. From left-back he’s scored six goals in Ligue One in 20 appearances this season, making him the highest scoring defender in the whole of Europe.
Next up for Nuno Tavares will be to finish the season in France as strong as possible and then to bring his fine form back to the Premier League next season. It’ll be a challenge to break into the current Arsenal squad due to their league position. Not just that but the fact that Oleksandr Zincheko and Kieran Tierney currently hold the left back spot under Mikel Arteta.
However Kieran Tierney’s future is in some doubt come the summer transfer window (click here to read), which could pave a way for the Portuguese left back to come back into the squad next season.
Arsenal fans, do you think Nuno Tavares has a future at Arsenal come next season?
No defender in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than Nuno Tavares this season. pic.twitter.com/SkgSyS7UTh
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) February 20, 2023
