Nuno Tavares in danger of repeating Aubameyang mistake as Mikel Arteta ‘annoyed’ by behaviour
To put it mildly, Nuno Tavares’ loan season at Marseille, where he was sent to gain more playing time after Arsenal signed left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 2021 summer transfer window, has been quite tumultuous.
The young player, who joined Arsenal from Benfica, has been inconsistent, with his performance fluctuating between impressive and below-average, often within consecutive matches.
According to reports from the French newspaper La Provence, Nuno Tavares received a low rating of 2.7 out of 10 for his recent performance against Paris Saint-Germain, who are currently leading the league.
Meanwhile, L’Equipe has suggested that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his staff were frequently bothered by Tavares’ conduct, leading to their decision to send him on loan to Marseille.
Although it remains unknown what specifically caused Arteta’s frustration with the 23-year-old, the coach has previously demonstrated a firm approach when it comes to dealing with players.
In December 2021, the former club captain of Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was absent from north London after a pre-agreed period of leave to visit his mother in France.
However, according to a report by The Athletic, Aubameyang was subsequently instructed not to attend the club’s London Colney training ground, and was later left out of the squad for a match against Southampton, which Arsenal won 3-0.
In a media statement, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta referred to Aubameyang’s behavior as another ‘disciplinary breach’, before the club announced that they would be removing Aubameyang from his role as club captain.
Afterwards, the Amazon documentary ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’ was made available, featuring a segment where Arteta talks to Mark Gonnella, the director of media communications, about the former Borussia Dortmund player. The clip shows Arteta and Gonnella having a conversation.
Arteta said: “That’s why I have everything documented with the dates, the times, the conversation, how it happened, why it happened… Because if one day it’s needed [Arteta then symbolises showing a document].
“He’s been late apart from all the issues many times. The club has got a tradition. When you get paid that much money…”
It should be noted that the club has not taken any public disciplinary action against Tavares, and it would be inappropriate to suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, the young full-back should be aware that Arteta has a history of letting go of players who do not meet his standards in terms of attitude and performance.
Nuno Tavares in danger of repeating Aubameyang mistake as Mikel Arteta ‘annoyed’ by behaviour