Emery ready to raid former club Arsenal to complete transfer for forgotten man
Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery is thought to be preparing a bid for Gunners outcast Nuno Tavares this summer as the left-back looks set to head for the Emirates exit door this summer.
Tavares was signed by Emery's successor Mikel Arteta in the summer of 2021, but enjoyed just one season in the red and white of Arsenal before he was sent out on loan to French side Marseille for the entirety of last term. Despite clearly not being thought of particularly highly by the Gunners hierarchy, Emery is keen on bringing the defender to Aston Villa before the window closes.
Villa's current full-back options make for bleak reading given Alex Moreno remains sidelined with injury while Lucas Digne looks set for a move to Saudi Arabia. The Midlands-based side had also been keeping tabs on Sevilla ace Marcus Acuna, but agreeing personal terms is proving difficult.
As a result, Emery's attentions have turned to Tavares, who is well down the pecking order of left-backs at Arsenal. The former Benfica man is unlikely to get much game time in north London this term with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Takeiro Tomiyasu all above him in Arteta's view.
Nottingham Forest were expected to lodge an official bid for the 23-year-old but personal terms scuppered that deal and Tavares is now exploring other options, including Villa.
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The defender hasn't always been the most measured and has often been prone to a temper tantrum. Last season, he came under fire from his then-Marseille boss Igor Tudor for making an obscene gesture at rival fans.
"He's lost his mind, he's going to get a nice fine," Tudor told Amazon France. "It can happen, but he's going to be fined, because it will penalise us in the future. We are lucky that it went well at the end of the match."
Tavares has also lost his cool at times while at Arsenal, most notably when he threw his gloves to the ground in anger after being substituted inside the first-half during an FA Cup defeat away at Nottingham Forest.
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Nuno Tavares is expected to leave Arsenal this summer (AFP via Getty Images)While at Marseille, Tavares made some interesting comments that made many fans feel he himself no longer saw a long-term future at the Emirates. "At Arsenal, I do not know if it was a problem of competition with Kieran Tierney, but for me, that's not even the point," the defender told RMC Sport.
"I came to Marseille to finally be able to play in my position. When signing with OM, I wanted to have an option to buy, but Arsenal refused. With my agents, we always wanted this purchase option, but Arsenal didn't. Now I'm at OM, and with or without an option, I'm happy. At Arsenal, I would have probably only played in the cup."
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