Nuno Tavares made headlines this week when claiming that he wanted his loan move to Marseille to include an option to buy.
The Portuguese full-back is seemingly looking for a way out of Arsenal after slipping down the pecking order at the Emirates, but what if there is a way back into the squad for the 22-year-old?
The former Benfica man is still so young, and while Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko look to be locked in as the Gunners’ two first-choice left-backs, there could be an alternative route into the team for Tavares – down the right wing.
It may sound a little bit out there, but think about it, Tavares is much better suited to playing in an attacking role than a defensive one.
Last season, Tavares was substituted early against both Crystal Palace and Newcastle due to woeful defensive showings, and it seems as though his time as a Premier League defender is over.
However, as he’s shown in France this season so far, there’s still a very talented footballer in there somewhere just waiting to be unlocked.
Tavares has three goals in six games for Marseille so far this season, while his underlying attacking stats are also fantastic.
1.2 key passes per game, 2.3 dribbles per game, 1.8 shots per game, Tavares is putting up numbers that man attackers would be envious of while playing as a left-back.
In this day and age, the traditional winger is a dying breed, so Tavares’ future probably doesn’t lie on the left-wing, but due to his pace, attacking impetus and skill, he could make for a very decent right-winger who cuts inside onto his left – a la Bukayo Saka.
Let’s not forget, Saka himself came through as a left-back with defensive deficiencies before transforming into one of the best right-wingers in the Premier League, and while Tavares’ ceiling may not be as high as Saka’s, he may be on the same positional trajectory.
If Mikel Arteta retrains Tavares and finetunes some of the technical aspects of his game, he might just have another Saka on his hands as yet another left-back could be transformed into a right-sided attacker.
