Jeremie Aliadiere has become the latest individual to criticise Nicolas Pepe for his performances after Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign the Ivorian.
The Gunners needed a winger in the summer and after they failed to sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, they turned their attention to the then Lille top scorer.
The Ivorian would eventually make a record £72 million move to Arsenal and with that fee, Arsenal and their fans had high hopes that they had signed a solid winger.
However, he has struggled to justify that fee in his first season at the Emirates and Aliadiere has slammed him for his poor decision making.
After hailing him as a top talent, the former Arsenal star claimed that Pepe lacked concentration in games and that makes it hard for him to pick the right pass even after he had dribbled his way into a good position to make an assist.
“I saw what he did with Lille last season and he is an amazing player,” Aliadiere told Goal. “So, I’m not denying his talent.
“What I’m seeing, though, is the most expensive player in Arsenal’s history and even if you don’t want to think about the money, the fact is that money is, unfortunately, a big thing in football.
“And when you spend that much money on a player, you expect more goals and you expect more assists.”
He added: “If you look at his stats, I would say he has had an alright season.
“Now, obviously it is not easy, as I know having been there, but the thing that has disappointed me a tiny bit is his decision-making during games.
“For a player who cost £72m, it’s the simple parts of the game that sometimes I see him lacking. And that’s what I pick on a bit.
“Yes, he goes on a good dribble and goes through two or three players – that’s amazing. But when you have (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang on your left and all you have to do is pass the ball in the right spot, and instead cut it back at the wrong time, that bothers me. And I’ve seen that quite a lot from him this season.
“Maybe with confidence, with more games, that will improve. But it’s that sort of thing – when he switches off and seems to lack concentration – that gets to me.
“That is something you can’t really have with top, top players who come for that sort of money. The easy stuff has got to be done properly.”
