Lazio manager Gennaro Gattuso has said that Arsenal reject Nuno Tavares "should be playing for Real Madrid," insisting the left-back has "everything" needed to become an elite footballer.
Tavares, 26, is rebuilding his career in Rome after a disappointing spell at Arsenal that ran from 2021 to 2025. The Portuguese full-back joined Lazio permanently last year, and the club sit top of Serie A after four games unbeaten this season.
"I always said that Tavares is worthy of Real Madrid," Gattuso said. "He's got everything it takes. He has pace, right foot, left foot."
The Lazio boss added that Tavares needs careful man-management to get the best out of him. "He is unusual, and after a match he needs his time to recover, but he's a good lad, you need to get into his head and make him understand," Gattuso said. "He knows he has talent and could've had 10 or 12 years at Real Madrid with his qualities. You've just got to get him to understand."
Real Madrid, one of the most decorated clubs in European football, play their home games at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital.
Wasted years at Arsenal
Gattuso's praise is likely to surprise Arsenal supporters, who saw little of that potential during Tavares' time at the club. He joined from Portuguese side Benfica for £8million in 2021 but was restricted to a bit-part role in his first season under manager Mikel Arteta.
Tavares was subsequently sent out on loan three times, to Marseille, Nottingham Forest and Lazio, before Lazio's move for him was made permanent. French newspaper L'Equipe reported that Arteta was "often annoyed with his behaviour" during his time in north London.
Red card and fallout at Marseille
During his 2022-23 loan spell at Marseille, Tavares was kicked out of a training session by manager Igor Tudor for a lack of effort. He was later shown a straight red card in a match against Montpellier, a decision BT Sport commentator Paul Dempsey branded "absolutely stupid" and "completely unnecessary."
Despite the incidents, Tavares had a productive spell in France, scoring six goals for Marseille. He also publicly criticised Arsenal over their refusal to include an option to buy him permanently in the loan deal.
Tavares hits out at Arsenal
"At Arsenal, I do not know if it was a problem of competition with Kieran Tierney, but for me, that's not even the point," Tavares said. "I came to Marseille to finally be able to play in my position. When signing with OM, I wanted to have an option to buy, but Arsenal refused."
"With my agents, we always wanted this purchase option, but Arsenal didn't," he added. "Now I'm at OM, and with or without an option, I'm happy. At Arsenal, I would have probably only played in the cup."
"I came to Marseille to play in my position, in the Champions League, in the league and in the cup," Tavares said. "Marseille gave me this opportunity."
