To say the least, Arsenal youngster Nuno Tavares’ season on loan at Marseille has been a rollercoaster.
Tavares, who joined Arsenal from Benfica in the summer of 2021, was sent to the Stade Velodrome to get some much-needed first-team experience after fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived in north London last summer.
The Portuguese Under-21 international’s form has been as erratic as ever, with a stellar performance often followed by a subpar performance in the next match.
His most recent outing, against league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, was rated 2.7/10 by French newspaper La Provence, while L’Equipe has now claimed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his staff were “often annoyed with his behavior” before deciding to send him to Marseille on a temporary basis.
It’s unclear what the 23-year-old was doing to annoy Arteta, but the Spaniard has shown a ruthless side when dealing with players in the past.
Back in December 2021, then-club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived late in north London after taking an agreed-upon leave to visit his mother in France. Aubameyang was then asked not to report to the club’s London Colney training base before being left out of the matchday squad for the subsequent 3-0 win over Southampton, according to The Athletic.
Before the club announced the decision to remove Aubameyang as captain, Arteta told the media that the Gabonese forward’s actions were yet another disciplinary breach.
The Amazon documentary ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’ was then released, with a clip showing Arteta discussing the former Borussia Dortmund star with the director of media communications Mark Gonnella.
“That’s why I have everything documented with the dates, times, the conversation, how it happened, why it happened,” Arteta explained. Because [Arteta then symbolically shows a document] if it is required one day.
“Aside from all the problems, he’s been late many times. The club has a long history. When you’re paid that much…”
Of course, Tavares has not been publicly disciplined by the club, and to suggest otherwise would be incorrect. However, the young full-back should be reminded that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not afraid to let players go if he is dissatisfied with their attitude or the way they apply themselves.
