It is that time of the year when Arsenal have to decide which players to keep and which ones to sell.
Among the players who could leave Arsenal in the summer transfer window is attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.
Aaron Ramsdale has also been strongly linked with moves away. Fabio Vieira could be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium as well.
A new name has now been thrown into the mix. According to The Athletic, Arsenal are ready to offload Nuno Tavares for good.
Tavares was on loan at Nottingham Forest from Arsenal for the 2023-24 season. The 24-year-old left-back failed to make a huge impact at the City Ground.
Arsenal stance on Nuno Tavares
The Portuguese defender made only five starts in the Premier League for the Reds, who decided not to take up their £12 million option to make the loan deal permanent.
The Athletic has noted that “Tavares hasn’t made an Arsenal appearance for two years now and his representatives are free to find a buyer”, adding that “if Arsenal can sell him this summer, they will.”
What Mikel Arteta once said about Nuno Tavares
Much was expected of Nuno Tavares when he joined Arsenal from Benfica back in the summer of 2021.
The Gunners paid £8 million for Tavares, who was 21 at the time. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the club’s Sporting Director Edu raved about him.
Edu said: “Nuno is a talented young player who was wanted by a number of clubs across Europe. He will provide strong back-up in the left-back position. We look forward to him growing and developing with us and becoming an important member of the first-team squad.”
Arteta said: “We welcome Nuno to the club. He is a young player with great promise who has developed very well with Benfica in recent seasons and has also shown his quality by being part of Portugal Under-21s. Nuno’s arrival will give the squad extra strength and options in defence, particularly with this energy on the left side of the pitch. We look forward to Nuno’s arrival soon, his integration into the Arsenal family and playing in front of our fantastic supporters.”
Tavares has failed to progress over the past three years. He has made only 30 Premier League appearances, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process. His loan spell at Marseille was a disappointment as well.