French newspaper L’Equipe have applauded Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares for his debut against Stade Reims on Sunday, handing him an 8/10 rating, the best of the match, but also accusing him of lacking concentration.
Tavares, 22, joined Marseille on a season-long loan from Arsenal after the Gunners completed the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko. It pushed him down the pecking order and he has gone on loan to Marseille, making his debut on Sunday.
Marseille cruised to a 4-1 win, with Tavares getting his name on the score sheet. Cutting inside from left-back, the Portuguese talent slammed home a right-footed shot into the bottom corner. A wonderful start to life in France.
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A brilliant start for manager Igor Tudor, as Marseille climb to second in Ligue 1 – behind PSG who won 5-0. L’Equipe gave their player ratings, handing Tavares an 8/10 – in a game which also saw Folarin Balogun score for Reims.
They applaud Tavares with an 8/10 rating, but do offer some criticism: “A resounding first start. He sometimes lacks concentration and swings bizarre balls across his own half, but constantly provides solutions up front and runs.”
L’Equipe 8/10 rating for Arsenal loanee Tavares
A great start for Tavares. Playing in a quickly-improve league, proven by the Premier League now regularly looking to France for incoming signings, Tavares sparkled. But he will need to do a whole lot more to prove Arsenal wrong.
The Gunners boast Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney, two excellent options at left-back. Of course, Zinchenko can play in midfield. But Tavares needs to have a barn-storming campaign in order to show Arsenal he can start.
But nabbing goals – as seen above – and assists throughout the campaign will certainly go some way in convincing Arsenal. On the other hand, it may improve his price tag and Arsenal could make a profit.
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