"He may have a future at the club"- Kevin Campbell claims Arsenal star has 6 months to prove his worth

Former Arsenal striker turned TV pundit Kevin Campbell believes Nicolas Pepe may still have a future at the Emirates.

Pepe moved to the north London club from Ligue 1 side Lille back in the summer of 2019 for a club-record fee of around £72 million. Needless to say, the Ivorian has not managed to live up to the expectations in the English capital.

However, Campbell believes Pepe can still turn his Arsenal career around and has a 'big six months' ahead of him.

The former Gunners striker, while speaking exclusively to Football Insider, said:

“It’s a big six months for Pepe."

Elaborating on Pepe's contract situation and the Gunners' attacking options, Campbell added:

“I have always thought that this is the prove-it year for Pepe. After this season he will have two years left on his contract. They need to cash in or renew his contract this summer."

"I’m not too sure what Mikel Arteta is going to do with him because with [Martin] Odegaard, [Bukayo] Saka and [Gabriel] Martinelli the team has been more productive."

On what Nicolas Pepe needs to do to find a way back into Mikel Arteta's starting group, Campbell said:

“Pepe does have quality, we know that. But he is up and down in the Premier League. This is his third season at Arsenal. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance but no consistency."

"If he produces for the second half of the season then he may have a future at the club. I’m not holding my breath though.”

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Can Pepe turn it around at Arsenal?

Despite his obvious talent, Pepe has never quite been able to kick on with his Arsenal career. The Ivorian has certainly shown glimpses of his quality but has so far lacked output on a weekly basis.

Pepe has struggled for playing time this season having managed just 501 minutes of Premier League football and has not started in the league since October.

The exorbitant fee of £72 million seems to have been way too much for the fleet-footed forward but more opportunities could come his way in the next few months.

With the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gunners have been left with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah up front. Neither of the two have managed to score goals on a consistent basis and look destined to leave this summer with their contracts set for expiry.

Pepe could be given his final chance by Arteta to impress at the Emirates in the number nine role. If he manages to make the best of it, the Ivorian might just revive his career at the Emirates.