Arsenal fans tell Nuno Tavares to ‘come back’ despite Lazio agreement | OneFootball

Arsenal supporters have urged Lazio full-back Nuno Tavares to ‘come back’ to North London and fight for his position under Mikel Arteta, despite the recent Portugal international already having an agreement in place over a five-year deal at the Stadio Olimpico.

The 24-year-old has made a strong impression on the Biancocelesti crowd since his summer move from Arsenal, registering eight assists from his first eight appearances in Serie A, which, statistically, puts him as one of the best performing players in the division this season.

He also earned his first cap for the senior Portugal national team during the 5-1 victory against Poland on Friday evening.

As Tavares is still technically on loan from Arsenal, even though a permanent move to Lazio is practically guaranteed, the club congratulated him for his Portugal debut on their social media accounts on Monday.

The responses from the Arsenal fans in the comment section were varied. Some urged him to ‘come back’ to the Emirates and fight for his place, while some were surprised to learn that he is still an Arsenal player given that he has spent the last three seasons out on loan.

Nuno Tavares joined Lazio from Arsenal on loan with an option to buy near the beginning of the summer transfer window. The option to buy will become mandatory if certain sporting conditions are met.

Given that Tavares is already a firm favourite in the Biancocelesti line-up, it would take extreme circumstances for his mandatory buy option not to be activated.

Reports at the time of his signing claimed that Lazio, Arsenal and Tavares already have an agreement in place over a five-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico. Arsenal will also retain a 20% sell-on clause if the deal is made permanent.