Arsenal: Coach raves over “extraordinary” Nuno Tavares

Arsenal have been told by Marseille boss Igor Tudor that they have an “extraordinary” young player in Nuno Tavares, amid his loan spell in France.

Which Arsenal players could leave this summer?
Tavares, who only signed for the Gunners in the summer of 2021, arrived with a big reputation – having really impressed for Portuguese giants Benfica.

However, over a season-and-a-half later, the 23-year-old finds himself on loan at Marseille and on the periphery of Mikel Arteta’s side – leaving the door open for his potential permanent exit alongside a few others.

Indeed, Tavares has been billed as one of the players who could depart Arsenal permanently this summer – with Kieran Tierney, Mohamed Elneny, Rob Holding and Nicolas Pepe having also been mentioned as nominees for the chopping block.

It has been heavily reported that Arsenal ‘would like to sell’ Tavares and do not want him back for another full campaign (via Football Club de Marseille), but according to Tudor, they could be wanting to get rid of a real talent.

Should Arsenal really sell Tavares?
Speaking to the media (via Foot Mercato), Marseille’s head coach has really endored the young defender on Arsenal’s books – claiming he has ‘extraordinary’ explosivenes and can make a difference for his Ligue 1 side.

Tudor said:

“He is a boy who is still young. He played two days ago with Portugal U21. He has high level physical qualities. He has extraordinary explosiveness. He could play at Real Madrid, Barca or Manchester City. There are other things he needs to improve. “He must progress, we often talk. There’s always room for improvement, we’re here to help. We make him see concrete things to improve. He scored 5, 6 goals, I don’t know. He has always been important to us even if he has not had continuity. He is still participating, he is an important player for us. As I always say, we hope he will help us in the last ten games. He is a player who, when he is in good shape, can change things. He can make a difference.”

The former Portuguese top flight starlet clearly has a real ability that has impressed Tudor, making you wonder if Arteta and the Premier League title-chasers should hand Tavares another opportunity to impress at the Emirates.

According to WhoScored, he has been absolutely phenomenal for Marseille this season – ranking among their top four best-performing players by average match rating. He’s also completed more successful take-ons per 90 than anyone in Marseille’s squad – chipping in with six goals in 21 starts.