West Ham United play transfer gamble on Nuno Tavares as Arsenal exit speculation emerges
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie doesn’t want West Ham to sign Nuno Taveres from Arsenal this summer amid speculation linking the left-back with a move to the London Stadium.
On 29 June, iNews reported that amid negotiations between West Ham and Arsenal over Declan Rice’s transfer to the Emirates, the Irons have shown an interest in 23-year-old Tavares.
It is understood that the Gunners are ready to sell the Portuguese left-back, who spent last season on loan at Marseille in Ligue 1.
However, despite being a regular for Marseille and scoring six goals in 31 Ligue 1 appearances, McAvennie doesn’t want his former club to sign a player who’s been on the fringes at Arsenal.
“It would have been a part of the deal if that was to happen,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“It would have been £100million plus a player or something; I don’t know how much the player’s worth.
“He’s not been playing first-team football for such a long time because Kieran Tierney is in front of him. I wouldn’t want to go down that road because the boy’s not playing first-team football at Arsenal. It’s a gamble.
“I’m not saying he’s no good but I’ve not seen him because Oleksandr Zinchenko and Tierney are both in front of him.
“It’s a strange one for West Ham. I get them signing a left-back, but it would be strange for me to go down that road.”
Tavares played as a left-sided wing-back for Marseille last season, doing very well in the eyes of manager Igor Tudor. He said the Arsenal player “was good enough to play for Barcelona“.
He played 39 times in all competitions for them but has only played 28 times in total for Arsenal, who signed the Portuguese ace from Benfica in 2021 for around £8million.
In other West Ham news, a £35million twist has emerged in the Hammers’ bid to complete this defensive signing.