Chris Wheatley has claimed that Arsenal do not have any current plans to extend Nicolas Pepe‘s stay in north London.
The Ivory Coast international arrived from Lille in a club record transfer in 2019 but has struggled to find a consistent level of form for his new club.
Pepe has been in-and-out of the first-team with an uncertainty of what you will get from the winger, and he now appears to have fallen behind the trio of Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka in the pecking order for the three places in behind the striker.
The 26 year-old’s ability isn’t in question, but his potential to put a string of performances together closer to his ceiling is proving to be an issue, while his younger counterparts all appear to be thriving on a regular basis.
While Pepe still has just under three years remaining on hiss current deal, there is no need for alarm bells when hearing that we are not currently eyeing a new contract, and I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that he still has the potential to be a future world star, but the reality remains that he now looks unlikely to find his mojo in our side.
Chris Wheatley hints that there could well be a change in circumstance for Pepe, adding that the club currently has no intention to sit down with him and discuss a new deal.
“I haven’t heard anything on Pepe being offered a new contract, Wheatley stated in a recent Q&A(via Football.London). “He’s in Mikel Arteta’s plans for now but it’s one to watch over the coming months.”