Pepe admits to being frustrated at being left on the bench

Nicolas Pepe has struggled to start games for Arsenal this season after the summer arrival of Willian from Chelsea.

The Ivorian remains the club’s most expensive signing ever and he is expected to produce top performances for the team every week.

However, after they signed Willian, it was always going to be difficult for the former Lille man to get as many chances.

While Willian is an experienced Premier League ace, Pepe has been generally disappointing in most of the games that he has played for the club.

He has only made one league start this season, but he has been given chances in the Europa League and the Carabao Cup.

Speaking about his current situation at Arsenal, he admitted that it has been frustrating for him as he hasn’t been playing for the Gunners.

Adding that it was up to him to take his super-sub role and prove to his manager that he should be a starter.

‘My goal is to play more. Have a little more playing time,’ Pepe told French outlet Canal Plus.

‘A player who plays is happy. For me, I would like to play a little more to find a smile again.

‘He [Arteta] wants me to be 100 per cent focused during the 90 minutes of the match. Afterwards, I see during training that I will be a substitute the following weekend.

‘But the coach speaks to me, he also has assistants who are there for that. But it is frustrating for any player to be on the bench.

‘A super-sub role? The coach makes his choices. It’s up to me to show him that I don’t have that role.’