Nuno Tavares says he already feels at home at Lazio, taking advice from Matteo Guendouzi before joining on loan from Arsenal.

Nuno Tavares joined Lazio on loan from Arsenal last month with an obligation to buy, though it’s worth mentioning that he’s not entirely guaranteed to complete the permanent move.

Though the purchase clause is an obligation, rather than an option, it still depends on certain sporting conditions being met. Most likely, the clause will be active after a certain number of appearances.

Yet the expectation from all parties is that the deal will eventually go through, and Tavares will join Lazio permanently on a deal to June 2029.

Arsenal would then earn a fee of €9m (£7.6m) plus the potential profits from a sell-on clause of more than 25%.

Speaking after the loan move was announced, Tavares suggested he’s ready to make Lazio his new home.

“I feel very good, I understood straight away that this is a great club,” Tavares said. “I am quite surprised at how much I already feel at home.

“I am in a great club that is fighting for the title and this is the most important thing. I am here to help the team achieve its objectives.

“I wanted a new project in my career, I discussed it with my family and my agents. We evaluated all the options available to us and together we decided to accept this new challenge.”

By joining Lazio, Tavares is reuniting with former Gunner Matteo Guendouzi.

The duo never actually played together for Arsenal, but they did spend time together when Tavares was on loan with Marseille. With Guendouzi now at Lazio, Tavares made contact to ask whether it would be the right move for him too.

“I have known Guendouzi since my time at Marseille, we had not crossed paths at Arsenal,” Tavares explained.

“We had established a good relationship together and we have remained in contact, I also spoke to him about Lazio, he explained everything to me and so it was easier to choose this team.”