‘Freeing him’: Arteta told to turn Arsenal 23-year-old defender into a forward, he’d be ‘really interesting’
Nuno Tavares, a defender for Arsenal, has been gaining recognition while on loan at Marseille this season.
French soccer specialist Jonathan Johnson has suggested to CaughtOffside that when Tavares comes back to Emirates Stadium, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta should contemplate changing his position since he appears to excel in a more offensive position.
According to Johnson, removing defensive duties from Tavares could make him a fascinating player.
Arsenal recruited Tavares from Benfica prior to last season, and he started off strong, even displacing Kieran Tierney from the team for a period.
However, his confidence and performance waned after the turn of the year, prompting Arteta to send him on loan to Marseille last summer. Tavares, who is 23 years old, has performed well for the most part during his 21 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring six goals.
“Generally speaking he’s had a pretty good season,” Johnson told CaughtOffside.
“He’s an interesting player in that many people consider him a left-back. But he’s very attack-minded, has six goals this season and some of them very nice finishes as well.
“He reminds me a little of Layvin Kurzawa when he was coming through at Monaco.
“I wonder if a conversion to a more attacking role might suit him better and help get the best out of his abilities, instead of trying to turn him into a full-back or wing-back.
“Freeing him from those defensive responsibilities could turn him into a really interesting player, I think.”
Johnson’s suggestion is reasonable. Tavares appears to possess the qualities of a high-level player, and his impressive attacking drive is encouraging.
However, Arsenal already has several competent options on the left side of attack, such as Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Emile Smith Rowe.
Nevertheless, there have been rumors that Arsenal may sell Smith Rowe during the summer transfer window, though this seems improbable.
Arteta will have to make decisions regarding some of the team’s peripheral players and loaned players this season.
‘Freeing him’: Arteta told to turn Arsenal 23-year-old defender into a forward, he’d be ‘really interesting’
