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For many a season, Arsenal have been lambasted for their hesitancy to spend in the transfer market. Last summer, however, they spent heftily in the transfer market. A club-record fee of £ 72 million was spent on Lille winger, Nicolas Pepe who joined a list of players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez as the club’s marquee attacking signings.
Rival fans have been delighting in the downfall of Arsenal this season as the North London club has dangled in mid-table for most of the campaign. A lot of that flack has been thrown in the direction of the record transfer of Nicolas Pepe, with many labelling the Ivorian as a flop at Arsenal.
A lot of these jibes, however, have been unfair and unwarranted, and we will let you know why. Here’s five reasons why Nicolas Pepe has not been a flop at Arsenal this season.
Five reasons why Nicolas Pepe has not been a flop at Arsenal this season:
#5: Playing in a dysfunctional team
For a player transitioning from Ligue 1 to the most-watched league in the world, a grace period should be allowed.
England distinctly has a faster and more physical style of play, something that foreign players often struggle with at first. Now let us add to the mix that this Arsenal team has had three different managers this season, three men who have had different ideas and demands of Nicolas Pepe.
Unai Emery’s team was drilled to be cautious and defensive at the sacrifice of attacking expression. Freddie Ljungberg tried to steady the ship by allowing the players to be a bit more expressive while Arteta is now asking his players to work on positional play, thus creating better angles for each other in the build-up.
At the moment, Arsenal are in transition and their attacking play is dysfunctional at best. You could put Lionel Messi in this Arsenal side and they would still be mid-table.
#4: Nicolas Pepe has not been used correctly by Arsenal
For those who have seen Nicolas Pepe at Lille, the Ivorian was a free-flowing, exciting and expansive inside forward.
Not just confined to the wing, the 25-year-old would also often find himself in central positions running at opposition centre-backs. At Arsenal, the winger has been instructed several times over to hug the touchline and stay as wide as possible.
That’s not Nicolas Pepe's game, and that’s not where he feels comfortable because when positioned there, his movements are made more obvious and he is more susceptible to being tackled.
Nicolas Pepe’s trickery and close control are wasted if he hugs the touchline instead of operating in tight spaces by linking up with the striker/CAM.
#3: No support from right-back
Before leaving Lille, the 25-year-old went on record to say that his game relies on having an overlapping right-back.
Just like we said previously, Nicolas Pepe prefers to operate in central areas coming off from the wing. Having a right-back that overlaps provides the team with the width needed when Nicolas Pepe is playing out of position.
Arteta has asked Bellerín to operate in an inverted wing-back role. That was to increase Arsenal’s dominance in central areas while in possession. It is a tactic Manchester City extensively use and Arteta is trying to instil among his Arsenal players.
Against Brighton, we saw a moment of brilliance from Nicolas Pepe that came from him attacking in a more central area, not where he had been for most of the game. Without an overlapping full-back to make runs off, we will not see the best of Nicolas Pepe in an Arsenal shirt any time soon.
#2: Nicolas Pepe is Arsenal’s second most creative player
For far too long, Arsenal have looked toothless in attack and have far too often relied on individual moments of brilliance. Mesut Ozil’s creative source has dried up in recen titmes, and Arsenal were in need of another player to help create goal-scoring opportunities.
This season, despite being in and out of the team, Nicolas Pepe has managed to be Arsenal’s second most creative player in terms of key passes and created chances.
On average, Nicolas Pepe has provided 1.4 key passes a game in the Premier League, which equates to six assists. Nicolas Pepe has provided these chances courtesy his excellent technique from dead-ball positions and also through crosses;he averages one cross every game.
The 25-year-old is able to work out these crossing opportunities by making space for himself as is evident in his average of 2.6 successful take-ons in a game. In Ozil’s absence, Nicolas Pepe has taken up the mantle of Arsenal’s creative source.
#1: Nicolas Pepe's goal return
In an Arsenal team that’s heavily reliant on Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang for goals, Nicolas Pepe was signed to share some of that goal-scoring burden.
It’s not only goals that were needed but creativity as well due to the rapid decline of Mesut Ozil. The 25-year-old has done exactly what was asked of him.
In 26 league appearances, Nicolas Pepe has scored five goals and provided six assists, which equates to a goal or assist every 158 minutes. That’s a respectable return when you consider he’s been in and out of the Arsenal team.
In this regard, let us make a few comparisons for Premier League wingers in their debut seasons.
· Son Heung-Min scored four goals and provided 1 assist in 28 games.
· Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals and provided as many assists in 29 games.
· Riyad Mahrez scored four goals and provided three assists in 30 games.
The bottom line is, it’s not easy for a foreign player to settle in a new league, let alone in a team in the middle of a crisis like Arsenal. But Nicolas Pepe has done well for himself.
