Arsenal told they’ve neglected forgotten man – ‘Have you seen what a player he is?’
Lazio president Claudio Lotito has hailed Nuno Tavares, with the defender’s time at Arsenal almost certainly up.
Tavares joined the Gunners from Benfica in 2021 and showed some moments of quality in his first season, but things went south after he was ruthlessly substituted by manager Mikel Arteta just 34 minutes into a defeat against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. The keft-back made a few more appearances that season, scoring his first Arsenal goal in an April win over Manchester United, but has spent the last two campaigns out on loan.
He impressed at Marseille but publicly voiced his frustration that no buy option was included in the deal. Last season’s loan to Nottingham Forest was far less productive, though, as he racked up just eight league outings.
Lazio have become the latest to take a chance, and they will be obliged to make the move permanent if certain conditions are met. And Lotito has already liked what he’s seen.
“We have built a new team with potential suited to today’s football, be patient,” Lotito told Il Messaggero (via Metro). He was speaking after Tavares’ debut, which ended in a 2-2 draw against AC Milan.
“Ours is a real and strong group. We have many players called up by the national team , but I am convinced that all the new arrivals are also of a high level. But have you seen what technique [Taty] Castellanos has? And now he has also made his debut with Argentina.
“You always have to give the players time to settle in. Tavares is the same, have you seen what a player he is? And now you will also see [Samuel] Gigot.”
Back in April, Tavares was already dropping hints about the status of his relationship with Arteta. He described his spell at Marseille and Benfica as the best of his career, and his comments about trust were read by some as a dig at the Arsenal boss.
“It’s always different when a club and a coach trust you, bet on you,” Tavares told L’Equipe. Igor Tudor [at Marseille] is the coach who placed the most trust in me with Jorge Jesus [at Benfica].”
He added: “In Marseille I was happy. I felt a bit like I was in Lisbon. The streets, the people, certain places: in many ways, the two cities are similar and I loved Marseille. The Benfica stadium is prettier but the atmosphere is even stronger, more intense at the Velodrome.”
Even before allowing the defender to leave, Arsenal began boosting their options at left-back with versatile players who can also fill in at centre-back. Jakub Kiwior joined in January 2023, with Jurrien Timber arriving a few months later and Riccardo Calafiori added to Arteta’s squad this summer.
