Nottingham Forest flop who was snubbed by Steve Cooper could now return to Premier League this summer

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Nottingham Forest made a number of poor signings during the Steve Cooper era, one of those being Nuno Tavares.

Forest signed Tavares from Arsenal on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2023, and the left-back would ultimately fail to make the grade at the City Ground.

With just seven starts to his name that season, Tavares failed to impress Cooper, being left out of the Forest squad on numerous occasions.

Following Cooper’s sacking, Tavares would show glimpses under Nuno Espirito Santo, but the defender’s time at Forest would ultimately end on a whimper, and he would return to his parent club, Arsenal, that summer.

The Portuguese left-back has since impressed on loan at Serie A outfit Lazio, so much so that Forest have even reignited their interest in Tavares.

Forest’s attempts to sign the defender, however, have seemingly cooled in recent months following the emergence of Neco Williams at left-back, leaving other Premier League clubs to target Tavares’ signature.

Former Forest loanee Nuno Tavares attracting Premier League interest

Tavares recently admitted his regret at joining Forest, claiming he never actually wanted to join the City Ground outfit.

But with his Forest nightmare behind him, the 25-year-old has since thrived in Italy, becoming one of the Serie A’s most productive defenders.

This impressive form has seemingly caught the attention of a number of clubs, with Premier League sides Fulham and Everton expressing an interest in the defender as well as Italian giants Juventus, according to Gian Luca Di Marzio.

Tavares is still contracted to the Gunners, but it is believed that Lazio will exercise their option to buy and then sell on the defender immediately for some quick profit.

Nuno Espirito Santo was impressed by Tavares

It is still unknown whether Forest will attempt to resign Tavares this summer, but it definitely is an option for Espirito Santo, because despite Tavares’ struggles at the City Ground, the left-back seemed to make an impression on the Forest boss.

Speaking in February 2024, Espirito Santo praised Tavares’ form prior to injury (via NottinghamshireLive).

“Nuno Tavares is injured so we had to make a decision. He was playing good and it is unfortunate that the injury came at a good moment for him and team but Moussa (Niakhate) is ready to do the job.”

Forest have suffered from a number of injuries in the full-back department this season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Evangelos Marinakis dip into the market this summer – whether the club will target a Tavares reunion, we will have to wait and see.