Nuno Tavares plans to give his best when pre-season training begins at Arsenal on Monday but he admits the club are the ones who'll decide whether to keep him around or not.
Signed from Benfica three years ago, the left-back made 28 appearances in a debut season not without promise. However, he never seemed to fully earn the trust of Mikel Arteta and quickly faded out of view with Oleksandr Zinchenko was recruited from Manchester City.
A year at Marseille afforded Tavares the game time he craved only for an unhappy spell at Nottingham Forest to undermine his progress. While Ajax have reportedly shown interest this summer, the 24-year-old's future, for the moment, looks very unclear.
Understandably, he just wants to focus on what he can control, which, at this point, are his performances
Asked by Record if he plans to fight for his place at the Emirates, he said: "Yes, obviously, I have in mind to return to Arsenal and have a good pre-season. Regardless of what happens in the future, I will always do my best, as I have done in all pre-seasons, to have a place at the club.
"I always try to do my work in the best way. Then it's up to the club to decide whether I'm a valid option or not. But I have a strong mentality. I know what I'm capable of. Sometimes things don't depend on us, but my job is to focus on myself and do what I do best."
As things stand, Tavares returns to a club with a host of options in his preferred position. Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney can all play there and, if rumours are to be believed, Arsenal could add another option - Riccardo Calafiori - in the coming days.
"It's not something I think about much, because we must always have competition," says Tavares.
"I played for one of the biggest clubs, Benfica, where there was huge competition. Therefore, it doesn't have to be a question of fear of competition, because I know my value and I don't let anything affect me. I trust my work."
Tavares is under contract until 2026. The Gunners would need to recoup approximately PS7 million from any sale to cover the fee paid to Benfica.