✍️ OFFICIAL Nicolas Pepe (Out)

[14Henry]

@14Henry and others clearly believe that Arsenal FC are the epitome of attacking football at club level. If you don’t work out at Arsenal then you clearly are a terrible footballer.

Anyway as others have said 18G/A with inconsistent game time and a team that struggled offensively in general is far from a player who can’t succeed. Some attackers will never produce those numbers in their entire career.

Btw @lomekian nobody cares about your essays determined to prove that a player is crap since your little Freudian slip racially charged comment. I understand people putting effort in to prove why a player is good but I’ve always found it weird when people really really go out of their way to prove why a player is bad. Combine that with your africa comment or whatever nonsense you said and you’re looking really funny right now. Allow it

Football is not just goals and assists. Scoring and assisting hasn't really been Pepes problem. It's everything else. He lacks the basics. As I said before he is capable of a moment of brilliance followed by tripping over his own 2 feet.

But hey what do I, Arteta, Emery, and all the other coaches in world football, who won't take a gamble on him, know. We must all be wrong and the problem is he actually is brilliant but nobody else can see it. Only you.

 

[Riou]

Big fan of Pepe, big fan of Walcott...quality, FA cup winning players at The Arsenal!

 

[lomekian]

Can you put stats of the entire team during that Walcott period? How much of the goals was Walcott's? Numbers for chances created?


Then we may compare the two. Defensive numbers for Saka, Waclott and him would also be a bonus.

Comparing the season, using goals and chances as a multiplier Walcott would have contributed to 20.22 league goals in less minutes compared to Pepe's 11. All comps makes thing better for Theo as he banged in lots in other comps.

Also using teammates and team as a total equivalence is a false one as the players with output contribute to the total themselves.

Detailed defensive metrics weren't available then.

 

[Dutch D]

I see people are digging their trenches again in this thread. Hope the guy gets a nice move, could see Newcastle work for him. Getting a decent fee would be a nice bonus. Obviously the signing has flopped regardless of everyone's opinion on why that is the case. Best for all if he moves.

 

[Macho]

I see people are digging their trenches again in this thread. Hope the guy gets a nice move, could see Newcastle work for him. Getting a decent fee would be a nice bonus. Obviously the signing has flopped regardless of everyone's opinion on why that is the case. Best for all if he moves.

Nobody has said he hasn’t flopped, the discussion has always been about the player and whether he’s as bad as everyone says.

Newcastle wouldn’t work anyways. I do wish he’d just magically disappear though. Thread should really be locked even, there’s no move people just want to line up and take turns to call him jungle baller or whatever.

 

[El Duderino]

11 goals or assists in the league in 31 games (mostly starts) is hardly earth shattering when at that point he didn't bother tracking back and couldn't retain possession with any consistency. Not going to be overly impressed by 4 G+A in the Europa League group stage...

For the record, Theo had 26 in the same amount of minutes at the same age

or 1 less than 21 year old ESR this last year, despite ESR playing about 400 less minutes, struggling for fitness. and a couple of the games he did play were in midfield.

Pretending that 11 G + A is somehow impressive for a wide forward with regular game time is not really helpful

Martinelli had an unimpressive season then?

 

[El Duderino]

Jeeze I guess ESR also had a meh season as well, despite it being his most productive.

 

[El Duderino]

Pepe was always an end product machine, he didn't suit what Emery and Arteta tried to do and Saka is clearly the better player, fair enough.

Everyone at Arsenal says the lad is humble and works hard, but somehow he gets some stick a lá Auba.

Hopefully we get some money and he moves on and restarts somewhere better for him, while Arsenal get a player more suited for what we want to do.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

As far as I'm concerned with the situation. Part of it's on Arteta, part of it is on the player.

The most pivotal thing for me is, buy players that fit the system / style you want to play. Make sure the person buying the players is on the same page as the manager who's going to use him. That didn't happen with Pepe and hasn't done anyone any good.

It's not even about Pepe being a good player or not really. He just doesn't fit the way we want to play.

 

[Badger_Revenge]

My only concern is whether he is good enough for Arsenal. He's just not consistent enough and he has big gaps in his game - especially on the defensive side. I really think he needs to be some sort of striker rather than a wing player. He's a confidence flare player that needs a side built to let him express himself without consequence. I don't think it's possible to win the premier league anymore with a team built that way, and certainly Pepe is not good enough to be the focus of such a team. That makes him a square peg in a round hole at Arsenal. He needs to go somewhere else, and I think he would be better off in another league, honestly.

 

[El Duderino]

As far as I'm concerned with the situation. Part of it's on Arteta, part of it is on the player.

The most pivotal thing for me is, buy players that fit the system / style you want to play. Make sure the person buying the players is on the same page as the manager who's going to use him. That didn't happen with Pepe and hasn't done anyone any good.

It's not even about Pepe being a good player or not really. He just doesn't fit the way we want to play.

Raul obviously wealing and dealing like prime debt ridden Barca signing anyone with a name.

Pepe was mostly a Wenger player and Emery and Arteta both are not the type of manager he needs.

Think he'd do well with someone like Carlo.

 

[Heskey]

As far as I'm concerned with the situation. Part of it's on Arteta, part of it is on the player.

The most pivotal thing for me is, buy players that fit the system / style you want to play. Make sure the person buying the players is on the same page as the manager who's going to use him. That didn't happen with Pepe and hasn't done anyone any good.

It's not even about Pepe being a good player or not really. He just doesn't fit the way we want to play.

Agree with this mostly, but the last part of me reminded me of something I ready yesterday. It's funny to me though to see some people (don't remember who specifically) talk positively and excitedly about Martinelli becoming a player who shouldn't be bothered with buildup and just focus on getting on the end of passes and score.

Here I am thinking that that was what people saw as Pepe's issue. That he wasn't able to be part of the buildup enough.

Oh well.

 

[TakeChillPill]

Can't compare Walcott to Pepe.

Walcott's role within the team was the out ball on the counters and bought directness to our play. He was by far the quickest player in the league at the time I remember in 2010 Barca were **** scared of him.

Pepe isn't direct at all, when he gets the ball he always cuts back despite there being acres of space. He isn't the quickest either. His strength is his shooting and freekicks, his dribbling is very overrated. You can't call it dribbling when even the player doesn't know what he's going to do next.

 

[Macho]

The most pivotal thing for me is, buy players that fit the system / style you want to play.

Well, the good news for you guys is they try to do that now. They just need to work on getting the Undesirables out.

 

[Garrincha]

Newcastle would be a great move with Saint Max the other side & the midfielders they have inbetween... the Lille set up with Bamba / Ikone / Pepe behind the striker was very attacker friendly

in my time watching Arsenal just seems the fan base much prefer wide midfielders, inside forwards & utility wide players to wingers

 

[field442]

 

[Hunta]

View attachment 8022

We ride. Spend the money left on a couple of midfielders.

 

[Riou]

Happy for him to stay... quality player, even if Mikel doesn't really rate him anymore.

This isn't really the best move for his career though, could easily start for another good team.

 

[field442]

We ride. Spend the money left on a couple of midfielders.

Not sure what he says makes a difference really. The manager doesn't rate him and I think it's past the point of return. He'll either get forced out on loan or not kick a ball all season.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Look he haven't learnt anything from last season. Did pepe check how many times the manager actually used him? Or started him?

Him working hard won't make any difference the manager don't see him fit to his system you hired a new agency for a reason ffs.