CBS journalist Ben Jacobs thinks it is unlikely Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares will play for the club again. The Portuguese left-back is currently out on loan at Marseille until the end of the season.
Tavares, 23, struggled to adapt to the Premier League after arriving at the Emirates from Benfica for £8 million in 2021. He managed one goal and two assists in 28 matches across competitions.
The Portuguese had to compete with Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu for a starting berth in Mikel Arteta’s side. Oleksandr Zinchenko then arrived at Arsenal last summer, leaving Tavares surplus to requirements. He headed to Marseille and has flourished at left wing-back, scoring six goals in 22 league games.
Despite this, Jacobs feels that the Gunners will look to sell Tavares once he returns to the club. He told TeamTalk:
“With Tavares I think it’s very unlikely that he’ll play for Arsenal again. That’s just a positional kind of thing. Zinchenko, Tierney, at the moment, is still there, Tomiyasu there, as well.”
Jacobs believes the north Londoners can make a profit off Tavares due to his age:
“And the thing with Tavares is that Arsenal can probably, if not definitely get a profit off him because he’s only 23 years of age and the fee that Arsenal paid in 2021 for Tavares was only £8m.”
He concluded by suggesting that Tavares’ departure will help Arsenal strengthen other areas of their squad:
“That means that if they do choose to sell him, they’ll be able to cash in and make a tidy profit, which will reflect well on their books, on Financial Fair Play and provide an opportunity to clear some squad space in order to no doubt bolster in other positions.”
The Gunners are yet to make a concrete decision over Tavares’ future. However, there is a slight chance he has a way back into the side as uncertainty grows over Tierney’s time at the Emirates. The Scottish left-back is reportedly a target for Newcastle United and is open to the move.
Arsenal boss Arteta fires a warning to his players after draw with Sporting CP
Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Sporting in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. It means the two sides are all square heading into the second leg at the Emirates on Thursday (March 16).
Arteta has warned his players that they must improve to have any chance of winning silverware. He told BT Sport:
“It’s true that it’s something that we must improve massively if we want to keep winning games. When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe it’s very difficult to get a positive result. We gave too many simple balls away. Today we didn’t defend well enough, and we have to do better up against our opponents.”
Arteta’s men turn their attention to the Premier League when they face Fulham on Sunday (March 12). They are currently top of the league with a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.
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