Despite a few hiccups here and there, there is no denying that Nuno Tavares’ loan at Marseille has been a success for all three parties.
The Arsenal left-back has been able to play a lot, which is exactly what the Gunners wanted, while the Ligue 1 side have benefitted from his attacking impetus down the left.
The 23-year-old, who failed to fully convince Mikel Arteta last season, has managed to score six goals in 27 appearances in all competitions this season, and there will be some in the south of France hoping he could stay for longer.
However, since, like the William Saliba deal, he was loaned by Arsenal without an option to buy, Tavares explained on Friday that he probably wouldn’t be sticking around for longer at Marseille.
He said this during a press conference, relayed by Football Club de Marseille: “Everyone knows that I still have two years left with Arsenal on my contract. We’ll finish the season. I’m here until the end of the season to reach our objectives with Marseille. I can’t tell you much more.
“I feel very good here, with these players, this manager. We get along really well. At the end of the season, I will return to Arsenal. I can’t say much more.”
What Marseille fans can take from this, though, is that he is happy, and while William Saliba was always going to be in Arteta’s long-term plans, the same cannot be said for Tavares.
Therefore, if Arsenal are open to a sale in the summer, perhaps a deal could be struck?
#Tavares ‘’J’ai encore deux ans contrat avec Arsenal. Je me concentre sur cette saison avec l’OM parce que je joue ici. Je vais finir la saison et atteindre les objectifs. A la fin de la saison je retournerai à Arsenal. Je ne peux rien dire de plus.’’ #liveFCM #OM #conf
— Football Club de Marseille (@FCMarseille) February 24, 2023
