Boss claims £8m Arsenal player could play for Manchester City

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Arsenal have been told Nuno Tavares has the ability to play for Manchester City or Barcelona.

That is the view of Marseille boss Igor Tudor, in comments reported by Foot Mercato, as Tavares approaches the end of his loan spell at Stade Velodrome.

It has been a turbulent spell for the left-back in France. Obviously, supporters would have hoped that Nuno Tavares would enjoy the kind of transformative spell that left William Saliba finally ready for his chance at Arsenal.

And he probably could not have started in better fashion. He scored three goals in his first four Ligue 1 games.

Tudor praises Nuno Tavares

Unfortunately, things have been much more difficult in the last few months. Tavares has come in for really strong criticism for his recent form for Marseille.

The Portuguese is still a young player. However, with Arsenal taking a giant stride forward this season, it is ominous for his chances of making the grade in Mikel Arteta’s side that he is seemingly going backwards right now.

However, he has now received some huge praise from his boss. Tudor suggested that Tavares actually has the potential to play for some of the very best sides in the world.

“He is a boy who is still young. He played two days ago with Portugal U21. He has high-level physical qualities. He has an extraordinary explosiveness,” he said, as reported by Foot Mercato.

“He could play at Real Madrid, Barça or Manchester City. There are other things he needs to improve. He must progress, we often talk. There is always room for improvement, we are here to help him. He is shown concrete things to improve. He scored 5, 6 goals, I don’t know anymore. It has always been important to us even if it has not had continuity. He always participates, he is an important player for us.

“As I always say, we hope he will help us in the last ten matches. He is a player who, when he is in shape, can change things. He can make a difference. ”

Arsenal probably do not need to rush into a decision when it comes to Tavares. The 23-year-old’s contract in North London expires in 2025. And they did not spend a huge sum to bring him to the club.

He did show glimpses of his potential in his first season following his £8 million move. But it also became clear that it was too soon for the full-back to play regularly in the Premier League.

His struggles with Marseille do not bode well for his future. But Arteta has helped several players unlock their potential already.

Clearly, if he can do the same with Tavares, the Gunners could yet have a special talent on their hands.