Arsenal corner flag
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Arsenal haveofficially confirmed the permanent departure of Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares to Serie A side Lazio following a successful season-long loan in Italy.
The 24-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Benfica in 2021, made 28 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners. After spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Lazio, the Italian club has now triggered the terms to make the move permanent, with the reported fee between €6–9 million. Arsenal are understood to have inserted a sell-on clause worth between 20–40% in the deal.
Born in Lisbon, Tavares rose through Benfica’s academy after joining at age 15. He broke into the first team and made an immediate impact, winning silverware in his debut by helping Benfica to a resounding 5–0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the 2019 Portuguese Super Cup.
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Tavares joined Arsenal in the summer of 2021 but had his first loan spell at Olympique Marseille during the 2022/23 season, where under Igor Tudor’s 3-4-2-1 system, he flourished in an attacking full-back role. Tavares played 39 matches, scored six goals, and provided one assist with all six goals coming in Ligue 1.
Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares
Nuno Tavares (Image credit: Gety Images)
He returned to England briefly before heading out again, this time to Nottingham Forest for the 2023/24 season. However, the loan move did not go as planned. Tavares struggled for playing time under managers Steve Cooper and later Nuno Espírito Santo, making just 12 appearances in all competitions, only eight in the Premier League and failing to register a goal or assist. Forest opted not to exercise their £12 million option to buy, citing tactical incompatibility and defensive inconsistencies.
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A move to Lazio followed in the summer of 2024, with the Italian club agreeing to a season-long loan that included an obligation to buy, contingent on performance targets. Tavares hit the ground running under Lazio manager Marco Baroni, recording nine assists in 30 appearances across all competitions with an astonishing eight assists in his first nine Serie A games.
His performances not only earned him the nickname “King of Assists” in the Portuguese press but also a long-awaited debut for the Portugal senior national team in November 2024.
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