“He needs to play football” – Mikel Arteta reacts to Nicolas Pepe exit from Arsenal

Arsenal will look to continue their good run in the Premier League when they face Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 27.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta fielded some questions from the press at the pre-match conference on Friday, where he addressed some key concerns regarding his squad.

One main talking point was Nicolas Pepe's exit on loan from the Emirates Stadium to Nice. Last night, the Arsenal Twitter account officially confirmed that the 27-year-old winger had joined the Ligue 1 side on a year-long loan.

Inevitably, it was one of the first talking points Arteta discussed, with the Spanish tactician explaining (via Football.London):

"It’s been three years and he some good moments, some others where he hasn’t really contributed much in terms of minutes. We decided for every party it was the best decision to allow him to go. He needs to play football."

The Arsenal manager also discussed potentially replacing Pepe before the transfer window comes to a close in just under a week. Arteta said:

"If we can implement the plan that we have we will try to do it. In that plan that (Pepe leaving) was something that could happen, now it’s a reality. We’ve been preparing for the last two months and now we will see."

The Ivory Coast international has scored 27 goals and contributed 21 assists in 112 games across all competitions for the Gunners.

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Arsenal have started the season strong and already in the title race

The Gunners have been ruthlessly efficient since the start of the season, with three wins from three matches cementing their place at the top of the table. They are the only team to have managed this feat in the English top flight this season and will look to extend their win streak against Fulham.

The Cottagers have exceeded expectations with their start to the Premier League campaign, having gone three games without losing any. An impressive 2-2 draw against Liverpool on August 6 was followed by a goalless draw against Wolves on August 13. They eventually managed their first win of the season against Brentford last weekend on August 20.

The Gunners will be hosting tomorrow's game and will be relishing their intentions of clipping Fulham's wings.

With fixtures against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Manchester City awaiting them before the end of October, the Gunners need all the points they can get.