Arsenal: 3 areas for Nuno Tavares to improve

3. Improving End Product

When Nuno was signed from Benfica, or at least when the news first emerged, one of the standout features from his time with the Lisbon club was the strength of his crossing.

Given how effective Tierney is from wide deliveries it was a trait that offered another indication that he was being brought in as a similar profile who could come in and allow Arsenal to maintain their attacking principles without having to adjust to a different style.

His crossing hasn’t quite been there (with consistency, it must be added) but seeing how impressive it was with Benfica offers strong assurances that it’s a matter of time before he begins replicating that with The Arsenal.

In terms of his shooting, he’s attempted six in the Premier League this season with only one hitting the target for a npxG of 0.2, which shows his willingness to have a pop even when the time may not call for it. There are players in the team with a worse SoT% – Tierney being one of them.

Netting on his non-competitive debut in the 2-2 draw with Rangers – with his right foot no less, which has been proven not to be in any way a weakness – offered an exciting glimpse into his shooting potential. It’s a skill he definitely possesses but hasn’t quite been as sharp since. Again, like miscuing some of the simpler passes, sometimes he just needs to set himself more and avoid doing everything at light speed.

On the whole, however, what has been seen from Nuno is hugely encouraging. Calls from him to keep his place in the starting lineup even when Tierney returns aren’t without merit, and the three areas to tweak are merely stages in his development to work on, not big criticisms of his ability.

Signs are that Arsenal have secured another clever swoop in the transfer market, one who could spring a few more surprises as he continues this bright start to life in north London.