Nuno Tavares: Arsenal’s Newest Signing Adds Defensive Depth
For their first official signing of the summer, Arsenal went ahead and signed left-back Nuno Tavares from the Portuguese powerhouse, Benfica. Tavares is likely to be the back-up to the Scottish left-back, Kieran Tierney, and will help provide defensive depth to the Gunners, something they severely lacked last season.
Arsenal agreed to a fee of €8m with Benfica as well as an additional €2.5m across three different clauses. The clauses are that Tavares picks up a senior Portugal cap, Tavares make a set, but unspecified, number of appearances for Arsenal, and Arsenal qualify for the Champions League. The last of which seems like a fever dream with their current team and recent performances. The contract itself is reportedly for 5 years, which makes perfect sense considering his ripe age of 21.
This is by no means a signing that will have the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool quivering in their boots, especially when they’re making far more ambitious ventures in the transfer market. Furthermore, he is probably not even the best young left-back from Portugal, as Nuno Mendes has been fantastic for Sporting CP. However, considering the relatively low cost of the deal and the fact that Tavares will get time to sit and learn behind world-class left-back, Kieran Tierney makes the transfer a solid move.
To get back to playing elite level European football, the Gunners still have a ways to go but nailing this summer’s transfer market will be crucial. The Nuno Tavares signing is just a start as there seems to be a good chance that the defense will be further strengthened by signing Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White for around €50 million. If that deal is able to go through, Arsenal fans should feel a little more comfortable with their group in the back, even if the White deal is a bit of an overpay.
After what will likely be a busy summer for Arsenal, the season is going to be one of the most important in recent Gunner history. Can Mikel Arteta prove himself as an elite coach? Can the Gunners get back to Champions League football, or at the very least even Europa league? Can they get back to the level of play that Arsenal fans were so used to? All these questions should be answered in what should be a tremendously entertaining season to watch as an Arsenal fan.
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