Alexis Sanchez is on the move once again with a deal to Marseille nearing completion after his contract with Inter Milan was mutually terminated. Sanchez will join OM who possess three players with links to his former club Arsenal.
Matteo Guendouzi and Sead Kolasinac both left Arsenal permanently this year to join the Ligue 1 side. Nuno Tavares has joined on loan in the hope he experiences the same meteoric rise that William Saliba had whilst on his temporary stint with Marseille.
Tavares was pushed out of the first team with the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko. The former Manchester City player has seamlessly assimilated into the group and with Kieran Tierney’s fitness issues persisting, Tavares’ route into the first team became blocked.
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Arteta was asked about the decision to allow Tavares to leave. Whilst not confirming he had a future with the club in the long term he explained that this was the best choice for the player’s potential.
"We don't know, we're going case by case. For Nuno's development, I think it's going to be really important," Arteta said.
"Obviously, we have recruited Oleks in that position and we have Kieran as well, which is two really strong players in that position, and we believe that Nuno's best solution was to do that."
There had been suggestions Marseille wanted to include an option to buy Tavares in the loan. Arsenal’s stance to reject that proposal is perhaps an indication of their desire to see if he can become a future star for the club.
When at Arsenal he was often paired with Gabriel Martinelli on the left. The arrival of Sanchez at Marseille, which is reported to take place this week according to RMC Sport, could allow for Tavares to learn from one of the very best to play the position ahead of him in the team.
Joe Cole once described Martinelli as having the same profile and sparking a nostalgic link to Sanchez. A compliment that certainly not be taken lightly.
"I left the stadium and I was driving away I was thinking this is the first time in 10 years there’s something to work from with Arsenal, there’s a base,” Cole said after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham last December. "This lad is outstanding, Martinelli.”
He added: “I’ve always been a big fan of his. He reminds me of a young Aguero, who is busy, just like Alexis Sanchez."
Sanchez could operate on the left for Marseille and therefore work in partnership with Tavares. The young Portuguese wing-back scored on his debut against Reims and has already captured the attention of the club’s supporters.
He is being considered quite the step up from the likes of Kolasinac and Jordan Amavi who have occupied the role for some time. With Alexis in too, the left-hand side of the Marseille team could become quite the attack and Arsenal could see further unexpected benefit from their loan decision thanks to the potential tutelage of Alexis.
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