Few could have predicted that Nuno Tavares would be among Europe’s most productive players this season.
The Arsenal loanee is enjoying an incredible campaign in Serie A following his summer move to Lazio, having registered eight assists in as many appearances.
This is a far cry from Tavares’ time in north London, which has seen him shipped out on loan in each of the last three seasons after being frozen out by Mikel Arteta.
But the Gunners’ could well live to regret their latest bit of business with the full-back, with his current deal at Lazio including an obligation to buy next summer for £7.5million.
And given Tavares’ sensational run of form this season, his parent club will likely feel shortchanged here.
Especially when Lazio’s majority owner and president Claudio Lotito is convinced that the Portuguese is worth much more than the cut price he is set to pay for him.
According to Italian newspaper, Il Messaggero, Lotito said of Tavares: “I won’t sell Tavares, not even for €70m (£59m).
“We have beaten off strong competition from the big clubs to sign the left-back in the summer.”
This isn’t the first time that Lotito has spoken in glowing terms about Tavares, having previously gushed after his debut display against AC Milan, where he assisted twice in a 2-2 draw.
Discussing the potential of his new Lazio recruits with Il Messaggero last month, the Italian owner said: “I am convinced that all the new arrivals are also of a high level.
“But have you seen what technique [Taty] Castellanos has? And now he has also made his debut with Argentina.
“You always have to give the players time to settle in. Tavares is the same, have you seen what a player he is?”
Tavares assisted in Lazio’s latest 5-1 win over Como[/caption]
But the Portuguese star was sent off on 65 minutes after receiving a second yellow card[/caption]
The former Portugal youth international has certainly found his feet in Italy, with his eight assists matched only by Barcelona winger Raphinha in Europe’s top five leagues in 2024/25 so far.
This places him ahead of parent club teammate Bukayo Saka, who boasts seven, and Barca wonderkid Lamine Yamal, with six.
Tavares’ superb start to the season has certainly been hard-earned, having endured a rollercoaster few years since joining the Gunners from Benfica in 2021 in a £8m deal.
Despite initially impressing in Kieran Tierney’s absence with his athleticism, things soon went downhill.
The Libson native was notably hauled off in the first half of a FA Cup third round defeat to Nottingham Forest in January 2022, and expressed his disappointment by throwing his gloves on the floor before blanking Arteta as he left the pitch.
Things got even worse between Tavares and his manager, with footage from Arsenal’s Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries showing Arteta screaming in his face at half-time against West Ham
With the Gunners chasing a top-four spot and drawing 1-1 at the interval, the Spaniard furiously tore into the defender, who had been at fault in the build up to Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser.
Arteta yelled: “Do you want to play in the Champions League? Do you want to play in the f****** Champions League?”
Tavares would later move to Marseille on loan in the following season, playing in the Champions League with the French side while the Gunners competed in the Europa League.
He then spent the 2023/24 campaign at Premier League rivals Forest, where he played just eight league games.
But Tavares’ electric start to life in Italy will now surely have his parent club wishing that they had considered their transfer strategy more carefully.
