Does Nicolas Pepe have the potential to perform better than he is currently doing?
Nicolas Pepe did some amazing things as a winger for Lille last season, the Ivorian scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists for the French side and helped them qualify for the Champions League.
From his performance last season, we can say that he earned his big-money move to Arsenal.
The Gunners agreed to a record fee for Pepe over the summer, but the winger hasn’t quite shown if he is worth that money.
Pepe has shown his brilliance in flashes for Arsenal this season in some games, most notably coming off the bench to score two free-kicks against Vitoria Guimaraes in the Europa League.
However, those performances have been hard to come by and it is hard to think that Pepe has it in him to ever be a consistent performer.
In May, he will be 25 years, but I believe that Pepe doesn’t have much more to offer as a footballer.
When I watch him play, I see a player that is limited in so many ways, his off the ball work is poor, his first touch is poor, his final delivery from the wing can be so frustrating much of the time.
I expect Mikel Arteta to get the best out of Pepe over time, but I also strongly believe that his best will never be too far from what we’re seeing now.
I suspect this will not be a popular opinion but Pepe has had enough opportunities to show far more consistency and he has been found wanting. You expect far more bang for your buck when you splash out in excess of £70 Million and it just feels to me that too many excuses are being made.
An article from Ime