Lazio president Claudio Lotito has praised the signing of Nuno Tavares from Arsenal, with the player currently on loan with a purchase clause.
ROME, ITALY: Nuno Tavares of SS Lazio in action during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Nuno Tavares joined Lazio on loan from Arsenal this summer, and he recently made his first competitive appearance in Italy.
Tavares had picked up an injury on his friendly debut for Lazio early in pre-season, only returning to the squad for their opening game of the Serie A season against Venezia.
Given he missed most of those pre-season preparations, it was unsurprising that the 24-year-old had to wait a couple of games before his first competitive start.
But he did excellently when the chance came, providing two assists against AC Milan.
ROME, ITALY: Nuno Tavares of SS Lazio during the SS Lazio training session at the Formello sport centre on August 29, 2024. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
“Did you see how good he is?” Lazio president Claudio Lotito said afterwards. “Nuno is an excellent player.”
The Italian press agreed, widely praising Tavares for his competitive debut performance. With any luck, he’ll now get a consistent run in the team.
Though Tavares’ loan contains an obligation to buy, the clause depends on certain sporting conditions being met. Most likely, the clause will be active after a certain number of appearances.
So whilst the Portuguese u21 international is very much expected to join Lazio permanently, it’s not a done deal just yet. A more serious injury or a poor run of form could see Lazio dropping Tavares and the move falling through.
ROME, ITALY: New signing Nuno Tavares of SS Lazio is unveiled during a press conference at Formello sport centre on August 13, 2024. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
For now, especially in light of Tavares’ impressive debut, the expectation is that the permanent move will go through and the player will join Lazio on a deal to June 2029.
Arsenal would then earn a fee of €9m (£7.6m) plus the potential profits from a sell-on clause of more than 25%.
