Arsenal are set to announce a number of departures over the next month ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1st.
And one of the first of those names on the departure list will be Nuno Tavares, who is now confirmed to be joining Marseille on a season-long loan.
The news comes following an update from Fabrizio Romano on Thursday afternoon where he stated that Arsenal agreed terms with the Ligue 1 side that will ensure a buy option is not included.
Tavares will fly to Marseille on Friday to complete his medical and sign all of the paperwork, ahead of it being officially announced by both clubs.
It ends two weeks of frantic negotiations from Serie A side, Atalanta, who were competing for the signing of the Portuguese refused to only accept a straight loan deal.
That allowed Marseille to spring back into action and jump at the chance to bolster their defensive options as they look to build on an incredibly impressive campaign that saw them as runners up in the league.
Arsenal have only had one season since Tavares’ £7.2m arrival and with a contract running until 2025 they clearly see potential in a player who fell short to expectation last year.
Tavares will now have an opportunity to fight with Jordan Amavi and former Gunner, Sead Kolasinac, for the left-back position, although the latter is expected to leave soon.
A switch to Marseille also offers Tavares the chance to play Champions League football and get a regular string of games, something Mikel Arteta couldn’t offer him.
With Arsenal’s new boy Oleksandr Zinchenko now set to compete with Kieran Tierney, the writing was always on the wall for Tavares who could use a season away to gain real experience.
It’s a system that we’ve seen work well for Arsenal in recent seasons with William Saliba having also spent a year at the French side which has only enhanced his ability to slot back into the first-team.
The fact that Arteta has insisted that a buy option isn’t included clearly shows he has some faith in the player to find form and somehow work towards an Arsenal future.