The defender struggled to establish himself at Arsenal, and loan spells at Olympique Marseille and Nottingham Forest did little to improve his standing.
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He faced an uncertain future once again at the end of last season after spending much of his time on the bench at Forest.
Arsenal decided to move on from him and sought a new club where he could play regularly this season.
They eventually reached an agreement with Lazio for a loan deal that included an obligation to buy the left-back permanently for a set fee.
However, if Arsenal had kept him a bit longer, he might have found a different destination.
According to a report by Alfredo Pedulla, Galatasaray showed interest in the defender late in the transfer window.
Despite his recent move to Italy, the report suggests that the Turkish club explored the possibility of signing him permanently.
This indicates that had Arsenal kept him in their squad for a few more weeks, he might have secured a permanent transfer directly to Galatasaray.
The good thing is that Tavares has left us and Lazio is obliged to make the move permanent at the end of this season
