Forgotten Arsenal flop 'should be at Real Madrid' - 'He has everything'

14 Sept 2026 16:15 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

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Lazio manager Gennaro Gattuso has told Arsenal why Real Madrid-level talent Nuno Tavares failed to unlock his potential in North London.

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The Portugal international was snapped up by the Gunners from Benfica for just €8 million in 2021. Tavares made 28 appearances in his first season at the club, but quickly became a forgotten man.

The left-back was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko in 2022 and sent out on loan to Marseille. That was essentially the end of his Arsenal career. Despite impressing in France, Tavares was not given a second chance.

Current ETV

Nuno Tavares

D (L)

Lazio

Nuno Tavares

D (L)

Lazio

ETV Range

€11.9M - €14.6M

After a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest, the 26-year-old joined Lazio in 2024 and hit like a bomb. Tavares emerged as one of the most dangerous full-backs in Italy, producing nine assists.

The Serie A giants made his stay permanent for just under €6m last year, but Arsenal did retain a sizeable sell-on clause. After failing to match his 2024/25 impact last season, he is now once again starring for Lazio.

Gattuso: Tavares should be at Real Madrid

Despite perpetually being in crisis in recent years and crashing out of the Coppa Italia to second-tier side Mantova in their first game of the season, Lazio have enjoyed a rip-roaring start to the new Serie A campaign.

They are unbeaten through four games, with their only draw so far coming at the weekend when they surrendered a 2-0 lead to AC Milan after a quickfire brace from Diego Moreira.

Tavares has started the previous three games, and his assist against Genoa on matchday two means that he has already bettered his tally from last season. According to manager Gennaro Gattuso, the left-back's biggest shortcoming is his mentality.

Speaking ahead of the Milan clash, the Italian legend insisted that Tavares would have had the talent to spend a decade playing for Real Madrid, but he struggles to consistently perform unless you can "get inside his head."

"I’ve always said that Nuno Tavares is a Real Madrid-level player," Gattuso said. "I told my assistant, 'If Tavares’s parents had died and left him €100 million, he would have blown it all in five years.' His career can be summed up like that.

"A player of his quality could have played 10 years at Real Madrid. He should be at Real Madrid. He has everything: speed, a great right foot, a great left foot. It's unusual, but after a match, he needs time to recover.

"But he's a good kid. You just have to get inside his head and make him understand. He knows he has talent and could have spent 10 or 12 years at Real Madrid with his qualities. You just have to make him understand."

Despite his struggles last season, Tavares reportedly received lucrative offers from the Middle East this summer. If he can keep impressing over the course of the current campaign, a big-money move may beckon next year - and Arsenal would benefit.