Mikel Arteta wanted to sell £4m Arsenal flop, now he’s been called up by his nation for the first time

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During their time together at Arsenal, Edu and Mikel Arteta masterminded some brilliant moves in the transfer market, signing Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard just to name two.

Of course, as is the case with every club, Arsenal also got it wrong on occasion as well.

In his early days as Arsenal manager, Arteta was slightly less successful with the signings of Pablo Mari and Willian for example. 

Then in the following summer, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares didn’t exactly light up the Emirates Stadium either.

That being said, Tavares is now enjoying some brilliant form out on loan at Lazio.

At one point, Tavares had more goal involvements than Rafael Leao in the Serie A, a remarkable record for a defender. 

Nuno Tavares called up by Portugal after stunning Lazio form

As a result of his excellent form, Tavares has now been called up by Portugal for the first time for their games against Poland and Croatia over the break.

Tavares will join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, one that has no representative from Arsenal.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola’s comments about Gabriel Jesus in 2019 are now very interesting amid Arsenal struggles

Unfortunately for the Gunners, they have already negotiated a relatively modest fee to sell Tavares as part of his loan to Lazio.

Lazio are obliged to sign Tavares for €5m (£4m) as part of the deal, an Edu agreement that the club might now regret.

Of course, Arteta himself would have been more than happy to sanction Tavares’ departure at the time, especially with a minimal loss on their original outlay for the left-back.

Arsenal paid £7m to sign Tavares back in 2021, a player who has such much offensive talent as a full-back, but didn’t necessarily have the defensive acumen to succeed in north London.

Arsenal still have left-back issues heading into January

Tavares aside, Arsenal still have a number of left-footed defenders they’re looking to move on in the near future.

Arsenal could possibly sell three defenders in January, even if they are all unlikely to depart in the same window.

Riccardo Calafiori’s arrival and Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness have completely changed the landscape in that regard.

And players like Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko are now simply on the periphery of things.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s emergence is also significant in that respect, a brilliant young talent who deserves more first team opportunities.