Has Nicolas Pépé been treated unfairly by Arteta?

Has Nicolas Pépé been treated unfairly by Arteta?

By Oliver Gafsen

Nicolas Pépé’s time in north London is reportedly drawing to a close, with Arsenal keen to cut their losses on the record signing this summer.

The 26-year-old has become a fringe figure under Arteta with only five Premier League starts this season, and neither player nor manager are happy about his role on the bench.

Arsenal have put a £25 million price tag on Pepe, a damning verdict on their £75 million record signing, but could the Gunners have done more for the winger in his forgettable spell?

Where did it go wrong?

Pépé’s arrival in 2019 was an impressive coup, and a sign of Arsenal’s punching power in the market as they lured an attacker whose 23 goals and 12 assists were only behind Kylian Mbappe’s in Ligue 1.
He was instrumental in Lille’s runners-up finish, guiding them to their first Champions League in seven years, and looked the perfect fit for an Unai Emery side struggling to create chances.
A debut season of 16 goals and five assists was a reasonable haul, but spells of brilliance against Vitoria and Newcastle only underlined his inconsistency, with Emery later claiming he wanted to bring-in Wilfred Zaha as Pepe fell from favour.
When Arteta returned to the Emirates as manager, he seemed keen to give Nico a chance, handing him 13 starts as opposed to nine under his predecessor.
But despite goals against West Brom, Palace and Brighton at the close of the campaign, Arteta signed Willian in the summer, preferring the fading 32-year-old over the young star the following season.
Pépé was open about his troubles in north London, citing the language barrier and difficulty adapting to the physicality of the league, with defensive actions never part of his repertoire in France.
He was also in a very different role, accustomed to paint on his boots as a free-flowing counter-attacker instead of a possession player required to cut inside for Arsenal’s wing backs.
But Arteta wasn’t convinced and even though Pepe was one of the Gunners' top scorers last season, with disappointments no less egregious than big signing Thomas Partey, he was singled out for bench duties.
Bukayo Saka’s breakthrough on the right was the beginning of the end, and Pépé barely featured for the Gunners after November, with Arteta often using Eddie Nketiah for his second string.
Pépé’s pass to Alexandre Lacazette was key to Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Wolves in February, but other cameos have been less impressive, and the side usually look weaker for his introduction
His appearance against Aston Villa was especially damning, with 20 minutes that could not have been more contrasting to the hard-working Saka he replaced, almost throwing the game when he fouled Phillipe Coutinho on the edge of the box in the 94th minute, his blushes saved by Bernd Leno's sublime stop.

Have we been harsh?

Pepe has not been the first attacker to come from France and take time to bed in, and Arteta's lack of patience has seemed harsh, if not misguided given the history of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires.
The price tag has never helped, with enormous expectations on the young man after his displays at Lille, and Pepe has suffered from joining an Arsenal side in flux.
But three seasons is long enough, and although elements of bad luck and bad fit have played their part, it's time to bid farewell before the Gunners head towards another free-transfer disaster.

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