Former Gunner doesn’t think Nicolas Pepe has been worth the amount Arsenal paid for him

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.”

Tags Jeremie Aliadiere Nicolas Pepe

9 Comments

  1. You surely have to conclude he is nowhere near a £72mill player and has been hugely disappointing. What most worries me is that you can see he has talent but he seems to be uninterested into getting into the game and is lazy.

    I call it as I SEE IT AND I THINK SOME PLAYERS ARE JUST OBVIOUSLY LAZY. WALCOTT, MKHITARYAN OZIL AND PEPE ARE FOUR OF THE LAZIEST OF OUR PLAYERS EVER SEEN.

    Unlike some, I will not try making lame excuses for clear lack of heart and lack of effort.

  2. He hasn’t been great, but remember the likes of Bergkamp, Pires and Henry took time to settle. Pepe has joined us at our worst in decades and has had 3 different managers in his first season which hasn’t helped.

  3. Yes let’s slam a player in his first season in a shîtty team under three different managers.
    Let’s pretend it’s abnormal to struggle in the EPL in your first season..
    Falcao did better, Di Maria did better

  4. Pepe is an instalment, we had 1/3 this season.

    Next will add another third. He will be at his fullest in his 4th season.

    1 year before his contract ends, like Auba.

    We have a bunch of drug heads on board and drunk owners, players lost and depressed gathering smoking crack balloons!

    You can’t imagine this under Wenger management. A drunk cowboy pirate is our Arsenal ship’s captain since.

    We are a sinking ship, in less than 18 months, we are now a midtable club hoping city ban to secure last EL spot!

    Means we end 7th. Looking above us, it is very low chance, we depend on others to mess up with 10 games left!

    Let’s get real, Kroenke is selling all valued players, then club. Hopefully to a owner who loves football and Arsenal.

    Have a real board, a manager and top coach. Not an assistant coach in such a club and after a figure as Wenger!

    1. We have a bunch of drug heads on board and drunk owners, players lost and depressed gathering smoking crack balloons! LOL

  5. The problem with Pepe is that he does not challenge defenders enough, and he is too predictable. Arsenal could have bought Zaha for £80mil

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