Nuno Tavares officially became an Arsenal player on Saturday, and you can check out exclusive images of him in Arsenal colours. The 21-year-old defender developed through the Benfica youth system, making his Benfica B debut in October 2018, before progressing into the first team squad. He made his first-team debut in the Portuguese Super Cup win over Sporting Lisbon in August 2019. Born in Portugal, Tavares is of Cape Verdean descent.
Over the past two seasons, the Portugal Under-21 international – who is predominantly a left-sided defender – made 25 appearances for Benfica. He was in the matchday squad for both matches we played against them in last season’s Europa League last-32, coming on as a late substitute in the second leg. The young defender will join up with his new team-mates in the coming days after he has travelled from Portugal and completed the current isolation regulations for international arrivals into the UK. Nuno will wear the number 20 shirt.
On 27 October 2018, Tavares made his professional debut with Benfica B in a 2018–19 LigaPro match against Sporting da Covilhã. He played the full 90 minutes of the 3–2 home win. On 4 August 2019, Tavares made his debut with Benfica in the 2019 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, a 5–0 win against city rivals Sporting CP at the Estádio Algarve. A week later, he made his Primeira Liga debut against F.C. Paços de Ferreira and scored his first goal to open a 5–0 home win, adding two assists.