What should Arsenal do with Nuno Tavares this summer?

Nuno Tavares was signed from Benfica last summer and had an up-and-down first season at the Emirates. With reports of a potential deal for Aaron Hickey, what should Mikel Arteta do with the left-back?

The 22-year-old high-flying left-back gave us everything in his debut season as a Gunner. He showed us his ability to constantly bombard forward and help in attack. While he also showed his rawness defensively several times as he looked completely out of his depth.

Playing 28 games across all competitions is a decent enough season for a 22-year-old, considering 22 of them came in the league. He was thrust into the starting XI at different stages of last season and was hit and miss for the most part.

It was a difficult first season for Nuno Tavares at Arsenal

He managed a run of games from October 22 to December 2 that saw him complete six consecutive 90 minutes while grabbing an assist against Newcastle in a 2-0 win.

After that, he was relegated to the bench and was used sparingly by Arteta until Kieran Tierney’s injury against Crystal Palace. The 22-year-old was then a critical part of the team as he completed 90 minutes in crucial games against Chelsea (4-2 win), Manchester United (3-1 win as he opened the scoring), and against West Ham (2-1 win).

Unfortunately, like many of his teammates, Tavares had a relatively poor end to the season, and in the dismal defeat at St James’ Park, his inexperience showed.

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It was hard to get a proper gauge of the young Portuguese defender throughout the season. He would have moments where fans would think they have an attacking powerhouse. Then other times, he reminded us of a younger version of Andre Santos; great going forward but leaving a lot to be desired with his defending.

What should Arsenal do with Tavares this summer?

It was his first season in the English top flight, and it was a steep learning curve. But with several reports stating that Arsenal are heavily invested in Scotland international Aaron Hickey, what does that mean for Tavares?

It is thought that Mikel Arteta wants the 19-year-old left-back and the Gunners could get him for around £20m as the Gunners look to steal him away from Italian side Bologna. If the deal does go through, it will surely mean that Tavares is sent out on loan.

We did see a loan move work well for William Saliba, and the same could prove valuable to the 22-year-old. If a loan away is what Arteta and co want, then a move to another Premier League or a Championship club would be best suited. Given his talents, albeit raw, he would have his suitors.

It is clear that there is a good player in there somewhere with Tavares, but the rough edges need to be sanded back to fulfil his potential. A loan move away could be just what the doctor ordered for the Portuguese defender.

If not, he will stay and fight for a backup role behind Kieran Tierney, and for many Arsenal fans, having Tavares as the backup for the seemingly always injured Tierney is enough to give them nightmares.