Arsenal summer sale has MOST assists in Europe this season

Former Arsenal star Nuno Tavares has the joint-most assists in Europe this season after an incredible start to his Lazio career.

The Lazio left back already has seven assists from the opening nine games of the Serie A season, which is the joint-highest number of assists in Europe’s top five leagues in 2024-25.

Interestingly, he is joint-first with his former Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, who also has seven assists in the Premier League this season.

READ MORE: European Assists King 2024/25

Nuno Tavares is enjoying a brilliant start to the season on loan at Lazio, and has already set a historic record.

Tavares became the first player in over two decades to make an assist in each of his first five matches in Serie A.

READ MORE: Arsenal top scorers 2024/25: Who is leading the club’s goal rankings?

He has now continued his brilliant start with two more assists on Sunday in Lazio’s 3-0 win over Genoa.

This summer, Tavares joined Lazio from Arsenal on loan with an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met.

The 24-year-old has been a revelation and undoubtedly the best left back in the league in these early weeks of the season.

READ MORE: Latest Arsenal transfer news

He has been a constant force of nature down the left flank, bombarding at speed past the full-back and whipping in dangerous crosses.

His performances have helped a Lazio side who endured something of a revolution this summer up to joint-fourth in the table.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito said this week that he would reject offers of as high as €70 million for Nuno Tavares should they arrive.

Nuno Tavares at Arsenal

Arsenal will be watching Tavares’ performances wondering what might have been.

The Gunners signed the Portuguese left back from Benfica in 2021 for a fee of around €10m.

However, he struggled in his first season at the club – especially in the defensive phase – and was perhaps somewhat unfairly mocked by fans.

Tavares was loaned out to Marseille in the 2022-23 season where he impressed and even managed six goals in Ligue 1.

After Marseille were unable to make his move permanent he spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest where he again failed to make much of an impact.

This season, though, Tavares appears to have exploded into the player Arsenal hoped they were signing from Benfica.

If he continues these performances, it will not be long until another giant club tries to sign him again.