Arsenal paid a substantial amount in order to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille during the previous summer transfer window. But it’s safe to say the winger has not been able to have any positive impact at the club so far.
Last season, Nicolas Pepe scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists in just 41 matches for Lille meaning the Gunners had to shell out €80 million to bag his services but everyone was sure the winger would come good at the Emirates.
12 matches into the league this season but Pepe is yet to show his talents in front of goal having managed to net just 1 goal in 11 matches up until now.
And while many people have already started jumping to conclusions by pronouncing him a failure but Thierry Henry has urged the Arsenal fans to forget the price tag and give him time to adapt to the style of play in England.
“When you arrive like that, you’re always going to be talked about, and people are always going to target you,” said Henry.
“He needs to make sure he doesn’t listen to that and go out and perform.
Name: Nicolas Pepe
Price Tag: Hazard
Hype: Lionel Messi
Footballing Brain: Yussouf Mulumbu
First Touch: Romelu LukakuTrophies Won: He Dribbled past VVD Trophy. #LEIARS#EmeryOut pic.twitter.com/vnOuj8fJiI
— Gerald Ngao 🇰🇪 (@geraldngaopk) November 9, 2019
“People need to forget about the price tag. He didn’t ask to be bought for that amount of money himself.
“It’s not always easy to arrive in a team, adapt to a new style of play. The Premier League, as we know, is not the same as the French League or any other league, by the way. So he needs to adapt to that. We need to give him time.”
Verdict:
Obviously any player moving to England for the first time will find it hard to adapt and Nicolas Pepe is no different.
But the 24-year-old has not been able to show even a glimpse of his talent which made him such a big star for Lille last season. And this is something that has been disturbing the Arsenal faithful.
Forget the goals and the assists, Nicolas Pepe has so far looked to be a very mediocre winger but unfortunately, Unai Emery does not have any other option but to use him primarily to justify his massive price tag.
