Nuno Tavares has spent the last three seasons out on loan after falling out of Mikel Arteta's plans in North London and has now signed a permanent deal with Italian side Lazio
Nuno Tavares
Nuno Tavares has completed a permanent move to Lazio(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal's forgotten man, Nuno Tavares, has completed a permanent move to Italian side Lazio. The Portuguese international, who spent last term on loan with the Serie A side, moves in a £6million deal.
He has signed a three-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico.
The 25-year-old joined Arsenal in the summer of 2021 from Benfica in an £8million move, making 28 appearances in all competitions. But he never looked an ideal fit at left-back for Mikel Arteta's side, combining occasional thrilling attacking forays with somewhat haphazard defending.
As new arrivals in that role followed, Tavares was cast aside, heading on loan to Monaco, then Nottingham Forest and most latterly Lazio. In the Italian capital he has impressed, operating as a wing-back and thrusting his way into the Portugal national team, winning his first senior international cap when he came on as a substitute in Portugal’s 5-1 win against Poland in the UEFA Nations League last November.
An Arsenal statement said: "Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Nuno for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future."
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Tavares will be joined at Lazio this season by the returning former Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri - who has rejoined the club 15 months after leaving. Sarri, 66, is back at the helm, replacing Marco Baroni, who led Lazio to a seventh-place finish last term - missing out on European qualification.
Sarri resigned in March 2024 after five defeats in six games and voicing his displeasure at the club's transfer policy, following three years in charge - during which time he led them to a second place finish, their best since winning the title in 2000.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito said in a statement earlier this week: "Maurizio Sarri has returned home.
"His return is a choice of heart, conviction and vision. With him we want to resume a path that was interrupted too soon, aware that together, we can bring back enthusiasm, identity and ambition.
"Welcome back to your home, commander."
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