Nuno Tavares, the Arsenal defender who struggled in the Premier League last season, is tearing it up in Ligue 1 at Marseille.
The talented Portuguese left-back joined us from Benfica for £7 million in 2021 (Goal). He was outstanding in the first half of that season, but his fortunes changed following the turn of the year.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta decided to send Tavares out on loan last summer, and he has been brilliant there.
Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares shines for Marseille
Lionel Messi and Nuno Tavares don’t play for the same team, but the Arsenal defender did his best impression of the Argentinian superstar last night.
Marseille took on Nantes in the Ligue 1 yesterday, and although it was the Azzedine Ounahi show, Tavares managed to catch the eye with a truly sensational run and assist.
The 23-year-old received the ball with his back to goal, brought it towards the halfway line, turned around, beat three players with his blistering pace and threaded a ball through to Cengiz Under.
The Turk couldn’t control the ball, but Nantes’ Joao Victor got on the end of it and scored an unlucky own goal. The debutant defender’s momentum made it almost impossible for him to get out of the way.
Watch Tavares’ brilliant run and pass in the video below:
Gooners react
Arsenal fans, unsurprisingly, were blown away by Tavares’ pace.
Some compared him to Messi, while others believe he could become a decent winger for us once he returns from his loan spell at the end of this season.
Here’s how a few Gooners reacted on Twitter…
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