Mikel Arteta has tipped Nicolas Pepe to become a great player at Arsenal after the record signing became an improved player under the Spaniard.
Arsenal signed Pepe from Lille last summer for a record-breaking £72m and he was expected to build on the 23 goals he had scored for the French side in the 2018/19 season.
He, however, struggled for form in his first campaign at the Emirates initially under Unai Emery.
He was a much-improved player under Arteta like much of his teammates and the Spanish manager has hailed him.
Arteta admitted that the transfer fee that Arsenal forked out to sign him has added extra pressure, but people have to understand that he has had to adapt to a new style of play.
He praised his attitude to the game and how he has also developed his game before tipping him to stay at the club for a long time and to make his mark,
He said via Mail Online: ‘I think he’s come a long way. We know what the club paid for him when he joined and that was obviously an extra pressure but he’s a player who’s had to adapt, it’s a different style.
‘He has a really good attitude. We can see he has developed in a lot of phases of his game.
‘He’s very settled here, he’s liked by the boys, he is a really good character to have around and I’m very positive that we’re going to have him for many years and that he can perform at a really high level consistently.’
The only player in this team that try’s to go past players like it’s his job ,to much pressure as been put on him because of his transfer fee ,when we look at his stats from last year and bearing in mind his first season in a completely new environment he did pretty good IMO .
Compare him to the last few wingers we had at the club before him his numbers were brilliant .
Also remember he as been in and out of this team for the last 12 months .
He is in a handful of players that we have that get me out of my seat when he has the ball and running at defenders .
👍 Fair comment.
Pepe tried hard to dribble in the Leicester game and he also helped Maitland-Niles in defending, so I hope he can maintain that intensity in the next game
He has blistering pace and he’s also quite good in the air. His weaknesses are bad first touches, ball control and tactical awareness, so he hopefully can learn a lot from Willian
this one that will just crumble heaven and earth without the drimble amounting to anything good.. zaha would have been better than this guy
I don’t think Pepé is under pressure at all and played quite well against Leicester. He just needs to improve his final ball and I certainly don’t think (as some have suggested) that Willian is his replacement.
Judging by the number of double-teaming he attracts during games, it is clear our opponents fear him. We are yet to see the best of Pepe. I think we should play him more across the full front of the attack – as a striker and a left winger. And most importantly, I would like to see greater use of the right wingback as the outlet pass down the right side whenever he cuts in to shoot. ANM has a good understanding with Pepe; HB should be next in line.
I think Pepe needs to watch Mahrez alot… Arteta should coach him on emulating Mahrez who is always moving with the ball… Doesn’t slow down counters and dribbles on speed. Two different players I know, who’s to say they can’t have the same game pattern… both are seriously one footed as well…
Mahrez’s control of the ball is even better than Pepe’s tho, and as you said, dribbles w/ speed as well. Pepe’s dribbling leads to stalling our attacks and rarely progressing the ball. It’s so frustrating.
You kept saying give him time. Sanchez came to Arsenal and scored about 25 goals or more his first season. Pepe is an average player. If u like give him 4 years nothing will change.
Yeah right, Gervinhio 2.0, another of Raul’s disasters. Were the ppl who were saying Raul knows all and he is the best thing that has happened to us….lol!. 70m for Pepe. We got robbed but then we robbed Everton for iwobi as well…hahaha
Ugh, I want this guy to succeed so badly, but I dunno… He’ll never justify his pricetag at this point but I still hope he can kick on and become an important player. He should be fighting to start over Willian certainly.
Pepe has done quite well in his first season considering its a new league for him and he needs to adapt. I am sure he will learn a lot from Willian and this season we will see the real Pepe. He will improve with game time.
Reassuring words from Arteta, but time alone will tell.I hope his development sees him used in a different role as he is far too predictable stuck on the right wing.