Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Arsenal, Lazio, Mikel Arteta, Football
Nasir Jabbar
An Arsenal flop who was banished after 'annoying' Mikel Arteta is now viewed an an 'unsellable' player following his great spell at his new club.
Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Moreno, Raheem Sterling, Neto, and David Raya during the summer transfer window.
The club also offloaded talent, letting go the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale and Reiss Nelson.
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Nuno Tavares departed the Emirates, too, as he joined Lazio on loan for the season, with an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met.
And Tavares is enjoying life in Italy, having registered an impressive seven assists for Lazio, which is the joint-most assists in Europe's top five leagues so far this season, with Bukayo Saka.
The feeling around the club is that he will join the club on a permanent basis next summer.
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Club president Claudio Lotito was asked about the possibility of moving Tavares on at the end of the season and he revealed that the defender will not be sold.
"Already a capital gain? I won’t sell him even for €70m. We have beaten off a lot of competition from the big clubs for the fullback," he exclaimed.
Tavares left Benfica to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 2021, penning a long-term contract in a transfer worth around £8 million.
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He made 28 appearances for the club in the 2021/22 season before being deemed surplus to requirements after 'annoying' Mikel Arteta, who sent him out on loan.
Arteta and his coaching staff were 'often annoyed with his behaviour'.
Ajax were briefly linked with Tavares before he opted to join Lazio for the 2024/25 campaign.
The 24-year-old feels at home in Rome and is enjoying his football in Italy's top flight.
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"I feel more and more at home here in Lazio. Fortunately, things are going well on a personal and collective level. We still have a long way to go, but for now the balance is very positive," he said.
"I feel good watching my teammates. It’s good to already have this understanding with them in such a short period of time. We can only get better. I’m happy to be here."