Former Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares is impressing with his new club Lazio after leaving the Emirates Stadium on loan in the summer.
The Portuguese left-back has been contracted to Arsenal since 2021, but has spent much of that time away from north London.
He spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Marseille, where he made 31 Ligue 1 appearances but received mixed reviews from the French media.
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He then joined Nottingham Forest for last season, but made only 12 appearances.
Forest had inserted an optional buy clause worth £12 million into the deal, but ultimately decided not to activate it.
It was anticipated that Tavares would leave Arsenal on a permanent basis this summer, but Arteta sanctioned another loan move and the attacking full-back will spend the season in Italy.
Lazio have an obligation to buy the 24-year-old for €5 million at the end of his loan spell, with the deal including bonuses. Arsenal also have a sell-on clause, though that is unspecified.
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He has already impressed with his offensive abilities, having provided three assists in the same number of Serie A games thus far.
It wasn't the ideal start for Tavares, though, as he suffered a thigh injury just 20 minutes into his debut during a pre-season friendly.
And although he missed the rest of pre-season and the beginning of the Serie A campaign, he marked his official debut with two assists in a 2-2 draw against AC Milan.
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He then started in a 2-0 win over Verona, before providing another assist in a 2-1 win over Fiorentina. He was also booked in the latter game.
Tavares has played every minute of the three matches he has played, and now looks to be the club's number one choice at left-back.
Lazio currently sit in eighth place in Serie A, with two wins, two defeats and a draw from their opening five matches of the season.
Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, Mikel Arteta, Football, Transfers
Ryan Smart