Nicolas Pepe was one of Arsenal’s best players towards the end of last season despite starting the campaign behind Willian in the pecking order.
Arsenal signed the Ivorian for a record fee in the summer of 2019 and they had hoped he would be the goal-scoring winger that they have craved.
He flattered to deceive in his first season at the club and their fans had hoped to see better in the last campaign.
He started it behind Willian and only had his chance when the Brazilian proved to be a poor signing for the Gunners.
But he took his chance towards the end of the campaign and he was arguably Arsenal’s best attacker.
Fantasy Premier League managers have now been urged to buy him because he would likely start his next campaign how he ended the last one.
The report on the Premier League website revealed that his growing influence in the Arsenal team became even more pronounced from game week 20.
They write about Pepe: “The winger was a major influence on Arsenal’s attack in the second half of last season.
“Pepe started only four matches in the Gunners’ first 19 Gameweeks, playing just 479 minutes in total. But he then started 12 of their final 19 fixtures, turning in a series of strong displays.
“Pepe was Arsenal’s most prolific player during that period. He scored eight of his 10 goals for the season and supplied all three of his assists in that spell.
“The Ivorian ended the campaign in particularly fine form, netting twice against both Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion in the last two Gameweeks.
“The underlying numbers from Gameweek 20 onwards further highlight Pepe’s growing importance to Mikel Arteta’s team.
“His totals of 34 shots, 31 shots in the box and 15 shots on target were all more than any other Arsenal player. He finished level with Bukayo Saka (£6.5m) on 114 points in 2020/21.
“Yet while the England star can be found in 15.6 per cent of squads, Pepe is owned by just 3.6 per cent.
“Fixtures against promoted pair Brentford and Norwich City in the first four Gameweeks give Pepe the chance to build on his momentum and emerge as an early differential in Fantasy.”
Finally starting to show why he was so sort after before we signed him ,his first season was always going to be a bedding in process . He was always being benched when on form As well so didnt do his confidence much good ,was few fans starting to calling him lazy and uninterested he as rammed their words back down their throats now ,love watching players like him when he’s on it and with him Saka and Martinelli ripping down the wings this season we should be exciting to watch as long as the manager lets these types of players off the leash .
i dont think pepe has a football brain , he just seems to get so excited at the wrong time.he always reminds me of a kid in a schoolyard waiting to get the ball, and when it is passsed to him he fluffs his lines, more often than not. i would love to see him come good, permanently, and not just every now and then.we need him to come good.
I think you are being a bit harsh on Pepe GB ,but I accept his ball retention and decision making needs to be improved if he is to become a success.Personally ,I think he needs to moved from the RW where he is so predictable to the left flank where he can cross the ball on the run before the opposition can retain their defensive shape.He has a lot of the skills needed to become a top player and I feel he may well come good this season.
Pepe kind of lost form or should I say had a shaky confidence at the beginning of 20/21 season. He was benched after few matches that also lowered his form. Towards the end of the season he shone like a million stars. We are expecting to be much improved Pepe come the new season
If Pepe is who are hanging our hat on for the 2021/2022 season, then I really fear for us.
In amongst the stats, the author notes “Pepe” scored two goals in two end of season games against two teams who were already on the beach. WOW!!
Whoever wrote this article is living in a Fantasy world!!!!
Pepe took some time to get used to the league, but put in some really great performances & goals when he finally got into his stride. He will be a fantastic player if he continues to grow as he did last season.