has revealed that Arsenal blocked his request to include a purchase clause as part of his loan agreement with Marseille.
The 22-year-old struggled in his first season with Mikel Arteta’s side after joining in an £8 million deal from Benfica last year.
During the summer transfer window, Arteta gave the green light for Tavares to join Marseille on loan in order to get regular playing time.
But Tavares has revealed that he was pushing for Arsenal to accept a purchase option which would allow him to make his stay at Marseille permanent at the end of the season.
However, Arsenal stood firm and as it stands, Tavares will be returning to Arteta’s side next summer.
‘At Arsenal, I do not know if it was a problem of competition with Kieran Tierney, but for me that’s not even the point,’ Tavares told RMC Sport.
‘I came to Marseille to finally be able to play in my position. When signing with Marseille, I wanted to have an option to buy, but Arsenal refused.
‘With my agents, we always wanted this purchase option, but Arsenal didn’t.
‘Now I’m at Marseille, and with or without an option, I’m happy. At Arsenal, I would have probably only played in the cup.
‘I came to Marseille to play in my position, in the Champions League, in the league and in the cup [competition]. Marseille gave me this opportunity.’
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