Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 23, 2022 Arsenal's Nuno Tavares celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now revealed some significant Arsenal transfer news involving Nuno Tavares.
The Lowdown: Mixed bag
Tavares endured a mixed first season at the Emirates Stadium, receiving praise for his performances before Christmas in the absence of the injured Kieran Tierney, only mistakes to creep into his game towards the business end of the campaign.
The 22-year-old perhaps played more than was originally planned, making a total of 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and supplying two assists (Transfermarkt).
The Latest: Marseille loan
Taking to Twitter, Romano has revealed that there is now a ‘full agreement’ between Marseille and the Gunners over the loan signing of Tavares for next term:
“Nuno Tavares’ set to join Olympique Marseille, medical tests on Friday. Arsenal and OM have full agreement on loan deal, no buy option included. #OM
“Final check to the contracts in the afternoon then it will be signed. Here we go. #AFC”
The Verdict: Significant
The fact that Tavares played so many games last season means that his departure is significant, but it was the right call from Mikel Arteta and the club.
Should Arsenal keep Tavares?
Yes
No
The Portuguese left-back needs to try and rekindle some of the form that he showed pre-Christmas, and can take some encouragement from William Saliba’s loan at Marseille last campaign, where he was crowned Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year.
Nonetheless, with the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, his minutes in North London would have likely been limited anyway, and so this is a move that suits all parties involved.
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