Arsenal brought in Nicolas Pepe from Lille during the summer transfer window but the player is yet to settle into the first-team squad.
So far in the 2019-20 campaign, Nicolas Pepe has featured in 21 Premier League games but has managed to score just three goals along with two assists.
And these stats are really meagre for a player who cost the club €80 million.
Under Unai Emery, he found it hard to string together consistent performances but it looks like his luck could finally be changing since, under Arteta, the winger has managed to up his level a bit.
But speaking about life at Arsenal, Unai Emery has now hinted that it was the club’s decision to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille and to add to the woes, the player needed time to adapt in England.
“We needed time to succeed with our transition to a new Arsenal which is what I wanted,” he said as per Get Football News France.
“For example, Nicolas Pépé, who was the club’s choice, clearly needed time to adapt.
“But I accept the rule of thumb and that I am poorly placed to criticise because I also benefited from such judgement in the past.
“I obviously am partly responsible, but you see that the team has not exactly done better since I left.”
So obviously Unai Emery did not handpick Nicolas Pepe before the start of the season and maybe that is why the Spaniard was not too keen to use him in each and every match.
But having said that, we don’t think the Gunners did not make any sort of major blunder by signing the 24-year-old during the summer.
Last season, Pepe scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in just 38 league matches for Lille which was enough to convince Arsenal to make a move for him.
