Should Arsenal let Tavares leave?
As first reported by Foot Mercato, French side Olympique de Marseille are keen to sign Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares on a season-long loan deal.
The 22-year-old, who the Gunners signed last season, is attracting some attention across Europe as Italian outfit Atalanta are also monitoring his situation.
Since signing for the club roughly one year ago, the Portuguese has had a mixed debut season. When he’s been good, he’s been really good. And when he’s been bad… Arsenal fans have the idea.
That’s why Mikel Arteta is willing to sanction a temporary exit for the 22-year-old, as it’s clear he needs more time developing his game, especially the defensive side.
But the question arises: Shouldn’t the club focus on other priority positions?
Allocating resources on the left side of the defense when the team has other areas to focus will certainly be debated among footballing circles.
In my opinion, Tavares has been decent in his debut season. He has made mistakes but it’s only natural considering that his peak years are still far away.
Signing an out-and-out full back on his position would be a short-sighted move. That’s why I am not thrilled by the prospect of Arsenal chasing Bologna’s Aaron Hickey.
Tavares’ ceiling is pretty high. Even though he might not be ready to be a regular starter at the Emirates Stadium just now, I think he will be in a few season’s time.
Signing Lisandro Martinez makes perfect sense in this case. He can be used as a makeshift left-back when Kieran Tierney is out with injury (which he almost always is).
When Tavares returns, Martinez can easily slot back to his natural position of left center-back. In that way, we won’t be impeding the development of the Portuguese, while also providing sufficient cover for Tierney next season.
The talks regarding a loan switch for Tavares is still at preliminary stages. But if he does swaps Arsenal for another club in Europe on a temporary basis, it will be rational.
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