Arsenal announce player who 'annoyed' Mikel Arteta has left the club the day after five others were axed

Arsenal have announced the departure of a sixth men's player in the space of 24 hours after confirming their retained list.

The Gunners confirmed on Wednesday that Jorginho, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Kieran Tierney would all be departing the club at the end of their contracts on June 30.

Raheem Sterling and Neto, meanwhile, will return to parent clubs Chelsea and Bournemouth respectively following the conclusion of their loan contracts.

Arsenal remain in talks with Thomas Partey over the midfielder's future, with manager Mikel Arteta previously stating that he wanted the 31-year-old to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

There were also several updates on the women's squad, with winger Chloe Kelly also in talks with the club over her future. She is currently on loan from parent club Manchester City, where her contract is due to expire next month.

Now, Arsenal have confirmed that a sixth men's player will depart north London.

Left-back Nuno Tavares has left the club on a permanent deal to join Serie A side Lazio, where he spent the 2024/25 season on loan.

The Portugal international hasn't played for Arsenal since 2022 and has spent the last three campaigns out on loan at Marseille, Nottingham Forest and then Lazio.

L'Equipe claimed that, while at Marseille, Tavares 'annoyed coaching staff' in training and was once sent to the dressing room during a session, and he was in and out of the team throughout the second half of the season.

The same outlet also alleged that the left-back 'often annoyed' Arteta and his staff in training at Arsenal.

His time at Forest, meanwhile, saw the left-back feature only 12 times in all competitions.

Lazio, though, have managed to get the best out of him and he has contributed eight assists in 23 appearances in Serie A this season.

His attacking talents have never been under question, as he also scored six Ligue 1 goals during his stint at Marseille.

Fabrizio Romano reported last month that Lazio were set to pay £7.5 million for Tavares due to an option-to-buy inserted into his loan contract, while Arsenal have a sell-on clause as part of the deal.