Lazio have announced the signing of Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy.
The Portuguese left-back has initially joined Lazio on loan, but the deal will be made permanent for a fee in the region of £6.5m at the end of the season.
Arsenal had been keen to cash in on the 24-year-old following his disappointing spell in North London, with the Gunners set to make a small profit on the defender - having signed him for £8m from Benfica in July 2021.
The deal will see Tavares reunite with former manager Igor Tudor, whom he played under during his loan spell with Olympique Marseille.
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His time at Arsenal
Difficult debut season
It has been three years since Tavares first stepped foot in the door at Arsenal, but he has endured a turbulent time since his arrival.
In his first season in North London, Tavares made 28 appearances in all competitions for Mikel Arteta's side, and scored once and assisted one goal in the Premier League.
Despite showing promising signs at times, the then-21-year-old looked vulnerable at times and made a handful of costly errors throughout his debut season.
Following the 2021/22 season, the decision was taken that Tavares was not at the level required to play regularly for Arsenal, so he was sent out on loan ahead of the following campaign.
Olympique Marseille loan
Tavares spent the 2022/23 season on loan with French giants Marseille, in a deal that was hoped would allow him to develop and gain confidence ahead of his return to Arsenal.
He played 39 times for Marseille across Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France, and was often deployed as a wing-back under manager Tudor.
Tavares impressed with six goals across the course of the season but, at times, still left a little to be desired defensively and, at times, looked a little nervy.
Despite this, it was a generally very positive loan spell for Tavares, and Marseille even tried to sign him permanently in January 2024, though a deal was unable to be concluded.
Nottingham Forest loan
Following his spell in France, the decision was made to loan Tavares out once again, this time in England, and it was Nottingham Forest who won the race for his signature for the 2023/24 season.
Tavares struggled in the early days of his time in the Midlands, as he struggled to break into the starting 11. His first start came away to Man City, which is far from a gentle welcome, but disaster struck as he was forced off with an injury in the first half.
This happened in September, and his next appearance for Forest would not come until January 2024, as a substitute in the FA Cup against Blackpool.
His playing time from here continued to be limited but, when he has struck by another injury in February - which caused him to miss a further six games - his chances of impressing on loan were rendered effectively zero.
After this setback, Tavares made just one further appearance for Forest, concluding what will be remembered as a very disappointing loan spell.
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The deal
Tavares' move to Lazio should come as no surprise, with it having been reported for a long time that the club were looking to cash in on the Portuguese defender.
With strong rumours linking the Gunners with a move for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, competition on the left of Arsenal's defence could not be higher - making Tavares' departure a sensible one for his own sake too.
While it will initially be a loan deal, the obligation to buy will guarantee Arsenal a fee for the player in a year's time which, when coupled with the fees received for his two loan spells, could actually see the Gunners record a marginal profit on Tavares.
It is believed that the obligation to buy is worth in the region of £6.5m, which is fractionally less than the £8m that Arsenal paid for the player three years ago.
Despite having wanted to make things work at Arsenal, it represents a much-needed fresh start for Tavares, who will relish the chance to play for Lazio manager Tudor again - who was at Marseille during Tavares' loan spell there.
