"This experience can only be a good thing" - Kevin Campbell claims underfire Arsenal defender will get better next season
Arsenal legend Kevin Campbell feels underfire defender Nuno Tavares will get better with experience, backing him to turn his fortunes around next season. The Portuguese youngster was signed from Benfica last summer but has mostly been an understudy to Kieran Tierney. Tavares has even drawn criticism for his erronerous performances.
In the Gunners' 3-0 Premier League loss to Crystal Palace last month, Tavares was directly at fault for the first two Palace goals, prompting manager Mikel Arteta to haul him off at the break. However, Campbell believes the youngster is still only settling at the club and will improve next season.
Speaking to Football Insider (via Metro), he said:
"The crazy thing is, early on in the season some fans were saying Nuno Tavares should start ahead of (Kieran) Tierney. This is about form. Tavares is a young player who is learning his trade. He will only get better. He will be better next season for the experiences he has had."
Tavares started the season brightly, becoming Arsenal's first-choice in the left-back position following Tierney's injury.
However, the Scotsman's return saw Tavares get relegated to the bench, disrupting his form and confidence. Tavares was also replaced at half-time of their FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest in January.
Mikel Arteta is asked about Nuno Tavares after he was dragged off at half time against Crystal Palace 👀 https://t.co/nfAR28DT3L
However, the Portuguese recently come back into the team, completing 90 minutes in the Gunners' wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham United. So Campbell feels all's not lost for Tavares at Arsenal yet. He added:
"It has been a rollercoaster for him this year. He has had good times, terrible times and indifferent times. The fact that Mikel Arteta has had him in the team means that he has played his part. Yes, he has had mad 15 minutes in certain games, but the fact of the matter is he has not been dragged off when he has started recently. Nuno will be better next season. This experience can only be a good thing."
Arsenal manager Mikel Artea urges fans to support Tavares
After three consecutive starts, Tavares was dropped from Arsenal's starting XI for Cedric Soares in their clash against Leeds United last weekend. That means Arteta isn't fully convinced with him yet but insisted that he needs to be supported.
Nuno Tavares' youth coach gives his thoughts on how the defender is doing at Arsenal 👀 https://t.co/KRMAr9htxu
Speaking earlier this month, Arteta said about Tavares:
"We have to help him. He needs to go through these experiences to understand, OK what trigged that moment, when you go from here to there – and give him support. We know, I’ve said this many times, the bill that you have to pay with these players is that they have never experienced this."