Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares suffers setback in Marseille training after clash with manager
Nuno Tavares was loaned out to Marseille for a season during the summer transfer window, but the Arsenal fullback has failed to impress the Ligue 1 club’s boss in recent weeks.
Nuno Tavares, an Arsenal misfit, has been barred from training at loan club Marseille after upsetting manager Igor Tudor.
Tavares was loaned to the Ligue 1 club in the summer after failing to impress in his debut season with the Arsenal. With the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, Tavares’ playing time was likely to be dramatically reduced.
Instead, he has been a regular at Les Phocéens since signing in July, appearing in 33 games across all competitions. Nevertheless, the fullback is currently in the news for all the wrong reasons after a fight with manager Tudor, who brought Tavares to the Orange Velodrome.
Tudor reportedly threw Tavares out of a training session last week, according to L’Equipe. The Croatian refused to name the Portuguese fullback, but he did confirm that a player had been sent back to the locker room for lack of effort.
However, it has since been revealed that Tavares was the one who fell short of Tudor’s lofty expectations. It’s not the first time Tavares has been chastised, with his unpredictable decision-making putting him in hot water.
It appears to have been a brief suspension for the fullback, who played the entire 90-minute match against Montpellier on Friday. Tudor, on the other hand, has made it very plain that he will not accept a lack of effort from his players.
“There is an element in my football where you have to run. And if you don’t… If I see one player who doesn’t run in training, I’ll tell him once, twice, and on the third occasion, I’ll intervene,” he told L”Equipe.
“I am demanding during the hour or two of training, and the players have picked up on it.” But if they want some downtime, I can provide that. And we can make jokes or laugh about it, but labour is work.”
It’s a letdown for Tavares, especially after Tudor praised him just a few weeks before. The Marseille manager even suggested that the fullback could go on to play for one of Europe’s best clubs.
“He’s a young player.” He has incredible physical abilities. He has an exceptional capacity to run. He could play for Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Manchester City… He still needs to grow and progress, and we talk to him a lot,” Tudor explained.
“He’s been crucial to us this season.” He’s scored a few goals, which is unusual for a player in his position. What matters is how we end the season. When he’s in form, he can change games.”
After the season ends, Tavares will return to Arsenal at the end of his loan term. Marseille is presently third in Ligue 1, six points behind leaders PSG.
