Arsenal have secured their first signing of the summer having landed Nuno Tavares from Benfica – and Edu claims the Gunners beat major competition for him.
Kieran Tierney may have signed a new contract to stay with the club, but his injury record meant Arsenal needed to find another left back, especially with Sean Kolasinac expected to go.
They have now swooped to sign Tavares, luring him from Benfica by handing him a ‘long-term contract’ at the Emirates Stadium.
The 21-year-old only played 14 league games for Benfica last season and now heads to London as competition for Tierney.
Edu has reacted to the move, telling Arsenal’s official website that a number of teams in Europe were trying to sign Tavares, but Arsenal won the race.
Edu added that he thinks Tavares will be ‘strong’ competition for Tierney, and is now looking forward to seeing the Portuguese talent develop in North London.
“Nuno is a talented young player who was wanted by a number of clubs across Europe. He will provide strong back-up in the left-back position. We look forward to him growing and developing with us and becoming an important member of the first-team squad.”
Last week, the Daily Mail reported that Tavares had rejected a more lucrative offer from Real Sociedad because he wanted to sign for Arsenal.
Napoli have been linked with Tavares too, so Edu’s comments do appear to hold some truth, and Arsenal will hope that the move pays dividends for them in the long run.
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