La Liga outfit Sevilla have opened talks with Arsenal to sign Nicolas Pepe this summer, according to reports…
THE LOWDOWN: STRUGGLED
The Ivory Coast international has struggled to make an impact at Arsenal since his club-record £72 million move from Lille in 2019.
The 26-year-old has started just five games in the Premier League this season and has been unable to secure a regular role in Mikel Arteta’s side.
It’s understood that Arsenal are willing to sell Pepe this summer and are prepared to take a significant hit on their £72m outlay, with reports claiming that a £25m offer could be enough to persuade the Gunners.
THE LATEST: WON’T PAY EXORBITANT FEE
THE VERDICT: CASH IN
Much was expected of the Ivory Coast international when he arrived in North London, after enjoying a superb year at LOSC Lille during the 2018/19 campaign, where he notched an astonishing 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 appearances.
Many expected the £27m-rated forward to take the Premier League by storm when he arrived in 2019 but he has largely underwhelmed. He made over 40 appearances last season, managing an impressive 16 goals and five assists but could not gain any consistent run in the team.
This current season, his struggles to get into Arteta’s thinking has largely continued. The £100k-per-week Ivorian has played 18 games, just the 653 minutes in the Barclays Premier League, and notching three goals and five assists in all competitions.
There’s no doubting Pepe’s extraordinary talents, his sheer speed, acceleration, trickery and the ability to beat markers with real ease, it is why Arsenal shelled out a club-record fee of £72m to acquire his services.
Once hailed as a “quality player in the making” by Jose Mourinho, it is certainly plausible to argue that Arsenal captured the right player capable of real brilliance, at the wrong time.
In a possession-based system that allows the likes of Saka, Martinelli and Smith-Rowe the chance to thrive, the qualities of Pepe just haven’t adjusted to such a patient and measured style.
Throughout his time at Lille, he was a real threat with most of his goals and assists coming through opportunities on the counter-attack, that isn’t the case at the Gunners and it is why the 6-foot forward has flattered to deceive.
Ultimately, Pepe’s move to the Emirates has been an unfortunate mistake, and maybe it is time to cash in on the player that former manager Unai Emery, the man to sign him, once believed was a “top-class winger”.
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