Nuno Tavares coy on his Arsenal future
In an exclusive interview with La Provence, Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares has said that he does not think about the future and prefers to live on a day-to-day basis.
The Portuguese joined the Gunners from Benfica in the summer of 2021 and had a difficult debut season. He started off brightly but looked defensively vulnerable as the campaign went on.
Hence, there were no surprises that the club decided to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer to compete with Kieran Tierney. The former’s arrival paved the way for Tavares’ loan move to Marseille.
Tavares has since chipped in with three assists from 12 appearances for the Ligue 1 club. He has impressed from the left wing-back role in a back three, a formation which Arsenal no longer deploy.
The 21-year-old has now said that he prefers to ‘live in the moment’ and keep himself grounded. He added that he does not think about the World Cup and wants to do a good job at Marseille.
He said: “The future? I do not think about it. I live in the moment day by day. I have no prospects, I keep my feet on the ground. The World Cup? I don’t really think about it. My goal is to do a good job at Marseille.”
Tavares could be sold by Arsenal next summer
Arsenal started the current season with Zinchenko as the regular at left-back with Tierney as the back-up. However, the former has been nursing a calf problem lately.
In his absence, manager Mikel Arteta recently found a fresh solution in the form of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
With his ambipedal attributes, the Japan international can operate in both full-back positions. He has also played as a regular centre-back for his country over the years.
Tomiyasu comfortably saw out the threat from Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah at the weekend and he is now another option for Arteta if he wants more defensive stability.
With the multiple choices at left-back, it seems unlikely that Tavares will break into Arteta’s plans next season. He is also operating in a more advanced role at Marseille.
Tavares is currently valued at £16.2 million by Transfermarkt. The Gunners will be hoping for his stock to rise over the season such that they can sell him for a premium fee.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
