Arsenal star 'very unlikely' to play for the club again after annoying Mikel Arteta

Nuno Tavares is “very unlikely” to play for Arsenal again, according to a reputable journalist.

The Gunners are just 12 games from winning their first title since 2004, when the club went an entire season without losing a game.

Mikel Arteta’s men are currently five points clear of reigning champions Manchester City at the Premier League summit, with Sunday’s trip to Fulham the next test in their unlikely title surge.

The Gunners’ success this term has been led by the club’s young contingent, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard having dazzled throughout the campaign.

However, one youngster that has not been involved this term is Tavares. The 23-year-old was sent out on loan to Marseille at the start of the season, having struggled to adapt in his maiden season in England.

Indeed, French publication L’Equipe even claimed Arteta and his staff were “often annoyed with his behaviour”, before agreeing to let him go on loan.

However, in France the Portuguese youngster has been a revelation, netting six goals in 22 Ligue 1 matches from right-back, to help Marseille to second place.

Tavares is 'very unlikely' to play for Arsenal again

Journalist Ben Jacobs’ has claimed that despite Tavares’ impressive form while out on loan, he is unlikely to play for Arsenal again.

Speaking to TEAMtalk, Jacobs explained: “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.

“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.

“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.”

Tavares signed for Arsenal for £8million in 2021, but his short spell at the Emirates was marked by defensive frailty.

“When I look at Tavares, I don’t really see him as an Arsenal left back,” Jacobs continued.

“What’s interesting about the Marseille spell at the moment, where he’s on loan, is that he’s scoring goals.

“Arsenal’s concern, in my view, is around those defensive qualities, whereas what he’s showing at Marseille is that he can be very enterprising from an attacking point of view.

“So that means that you’ve either if you keep him got to convert him and find a way to change the dynamic, and get the goals and all the great attacking stuff out of him, but without any defensive question marks and that means, either improving on the defensive output, or it means changing the position.

“Whether or not Arsenal have got an appetite for that remains to be seen.”

Topics: Arsenal, Marseille, Premier League, Mikel Arteta

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.