Nuno Tavares joined Arsenal with the intention to battle Kieran Tierney for a starting spot in the side. For a time, he actually succeeded.
Arsenal were without Kieran Tierney during a small portion of the first half of last season and Tavares came in for six consecutive Premier League games. The Gunners won four of them but the 4-0 loss to Liverpool and 3-2 defeat against Manchester United began to show concerns in the Portuguese full-back.
Tierney came back in and Tavares’ next start would come in the infamous 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest where he was substituted for the Scottish international before half-time. An injury to Tierney in the run-in saw Tavares reclaim the spot but it was evident Mikel Arteta remained unsure.
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He decided to risk using Granit Xhaka against Brighton and it cost Arsenal three points. In hindsight, a win in this game would’ve seen Arsenal gain top four in the end. Talk about a backfire.
Now Tavares looks like he could leave on loan. The Athletic have reported that the club are considering allowing the 22-year-old to depart the club temporarily.
Atalanta and Marseille have both reportedly been interested in taking Tavares. However, despite this news relating solely to a loan deal for the player for now, it is a real possibility we may have seen the last of Tavares in an Arsenal shirt competitively if he does indeed depart this summer.
Tierney himself suffers regularly from injuries that see him miss extended periods. With Tavares gone, it would be crazy to consider not having a natural competitor to the 25-year-old.
Arsenal have been linked to a number of options. football.london understands that Aaron Hickey is of interest to the Gunners however, the Italian media’s claims of a deal being close are wide of the mark. Although this could change quickly should Tavares secure his exit.
Additionally, Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City has grabbed the attention of Arteta. The Arsenal manager worked with the Ukrainian international whilst with the Champions and there is an appreciation for the player’s versatility.
Either of these two would require a significant investment exceedingly as much as £15 million, arguably above £20 million for Zinchenko. CIES values both players between €20-€30 million (£17.2m-£25.8m).
It would therefore be difficult to see Tavares return and have a spot still available in the squad. Furthermore, football.london understands that youth left-back Lino Sousa has already caught the attention of Mikel Arteta.
Having Tavares plus a new summer signing would make any potential pathway for Sousa incredibly difficult to navigate. Tavares’ initial £8 million purchase fee hands the Gunners the potential to make a profit on a player too.
CIES values the player between €20-€30 million. Whilst it would be difficult at present to demand a fee similar to this, after a strong loan in an elite league, the potential to get close to this would certainly be there.
