Since his season on loan at Olympique de Marseille (39 matches, 6 goals), Nuno Tavares has changed a lot. Even if his stint at Nottingham Forest (12 short matches) had not convinced the British people, his club Arsenal still managed to find a new base for the Portuguese international. Water has flowed under the bridges and his misadventure in the jersey of the residents of the City Ground has already been forgotten. Indeed, on July 15, 2024, Nuno Tavares was sent on loan for a season in Serie A to Lazio, therefore setting out to discover a fourth championship. A transaction accompanied by a purchase obligation of 12 million euros if certain conditions are met during his season in the Italian capital. His debut had impressed all of Italy and his confirmation in the Biancocelesti jersey continues to be on the front page of all Italian newspapers.
Newly appointed coach of Lazio in place of Igor Tudor, Marco Baroni never minced his words about the native of Lisbon: “Tavares is a player with great potential. No wonder he became an Arsenal player. Now we need to get it back on track. He gave a very good performance, we expected him because he had a small injury after his arrival. I think Nuno Tavares hadn’t started a match since February, so it was also a risk to bring him here, but he has quality and we wanted to get him in the best physical shape. We’ve done a lot of crosses from the right this season, so we needed someone like Nuno Tavares to push on the left as well. I am convinced that we will create the right structure so that he can give his best and improve even more“.
The best full-back in Serie A?
Last weekend, Lazio scored a big victory (3-0) against Genoa with a solid performance from Marco Baroni’s players marked by goals from Tijjani Noslin, Matías Vecino and Pedro. During this meeting, Nuno Tavares did not score, but he was nevertheless the absolute protagonist. The Biancocelesti summer recruit continues to produce important copies, confirming his status as the most decisive player of this Lazio team. Of the three goals scored by Baroni’s team at the Olimpico di Roma, the Portuguese full-back was the author of a decisive pass on two occasions: it was his flash of genius which allowed Noslin to open the score and break his team out of the deadlock, just like the last masterful touch which offered the final goal scored by Pedro. A performance marked by two new assists which earned him the title of Man of the Match. Tavares’ exploits are not just isolated cases, but constitute further confirmation of the former Portuguese Arsenal full-back’s good start to the season: “I won’t even sell it for 70 million. We beat out a lot of big name competitors to sign him», affirmed President Claudio Lotito in the columns of the newspaper Il Messaggero.
It is particularly in the assists section that Tavares continues to shine, having already delivered 7 assists after only 9 contested days in Serie A. A statistic which projects him to the top of the top 5 European leagues, only his former teammate Gunners Bukayo Saka, also did well with 7 offerings delivered. On the other side of the Alps, the former Olympique de Marseille player also impresses thanks to his physical qualities and his top speed. Thanks to its excellent performances, it even earned itself a brand new nickname: the Nuno Express. Tavares fits perfectly into Marco Baroni’s 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 system and has formed an impressive synergy on Lazio’s left side with Mattia Zaccagni and Tijjani Noslin. His direct attacking style of play has been a breath of fresh air this season for Lazio and the Portuguese left-back still has plenty to offer. Recruited for 5.5 million with +20% on resale, Nuno Tavares is now worth at least 20 million euros. This is the best quality/price operation for a Serie A club last summer.
