AFTV News

  By Tom Masters Why did Nicolas Pépé fail at Arsenal?  Arsenal have been flying high this season and ahead of hosting Fulham at The Emirates sit at the very top of the Premier League table after three matches.  There is a feel good factor at the Gunners again after three commanding performances and comfortable victories over Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Bournemouth.  And with the transfer window coming to an end in just a week’s time, there is still yet more time for Mikel Arteta to recruit more talent to his already talented young squad.  But as ever, not everyone can be happy, and with rumours of Arsenal searching for another winger in the mould of Pedro Neto, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Yeremy Pino, one such player who is looking to leave is Nicolas Pépé.  It was announced on Thursday that Pépé would be heading to Nice on loan  from the Gunners, just three years after moving to North London for an eye watering £72 million from LOSC Lille.  Bu...

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 seas...

How highly do Arsenal’s attack rate in the Premier League this season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton Arsenal’s attacking unit has undoubtedly been key to Mikel Arteta reigniting a Champions League challenge this season. You only have to hear Gooners at grounds across the land singing loudly and proudly about Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, to know how fundamental the team’s forward stars have been to the upturn in results this season. Even the departure of the previously talismanic captain and number nine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, midway through the campaign, hasn’t overly impacted upon Arsenal’s resurgence. While goalkeeper, defence and midfield have also improved this season compared with the last, to varying degrees, the collective ability at the top of the pitch has made a huge difference. But how does Arsenal’s attack compare with the rest of the Premier League so far?   Goal return Perhaps the priority area to strengthen in attack over the summer transfer window will be the goalsco...

By Jonny Bray How do you solve a problem like Nicolas Pépé? After costing Arsenal in excess of £70 million, the winger was always going to have the weight of expectation hanging above him during his career at The Emirates. But few fans could have predicted just how badly his start to life in North London would go. After the first half of this season, the Côte d'Ivoire international was beginning to be labelled as one of the most disappointing signings in Premier League history. However, he's improved significantly in recent weeks and has already shown that he was widely underrated by neutrals and Arsenal fans alike. His return of ten goals and one assist last season in just 29 appearances was impressive. And now he seems to be hitting his best form again after excelling at the Africa Cup of Nations. With some vital fixtures coming up as Mikel Arteta and his team look to qualify for the Champions League,   Pepe   could still play a crucial role for the Gunners. But has the wing...

Should Arsenal sell or keep Nicolas Pepe this summer? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It’s fair to say Nicolas Pepe's Arsenal career to date would probably be described as ‘mixed’ at best. Many in the game believe his form to be wildly inconsistent and not what you’d expect from a club-record £72million signing. When Pepe joined from Lille back in the summer of 2019, he was expected to be the final piece in attacking jigsaw. Manager at the time Unai Emery said after his signing was confirmed, “Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe. ” The Lille man excited everyone connected with the Gunners. Here was a player who would give Arsenal a different attacking dimension, perhaps the signing to lead the team back to the Champions League. But sadly his move hasn’t transformed the team and in early 2022 few of the biggest clubs in Europe would be desperate to secure his signature. Equally, it would be unfair to suggest his time at the club ha...

How are Arsenal's players getting on at the Africa Cup of Nations?  By Jonny Bray Arsenal have had a very strong cohort of players competing at this year's Africa Cup of Nations. The Gunners had five players called up to their respective national squads for the competition, and it's been a roller-coaster for all of them. As the tournament draws to a close, let's take a look at how they are getting on in Cameroon. Mohamed Elneny Mohamed Elneny has had an outstanding tournament in the heart of Egypt's midfielder. He's been a crucial part of their side for many years but has been particularly influential in Cameroon. He was named Man of the Match in the 0-0 against Côte d'Ivoire that ended with his side advancing after a penalty shootout. He was also a big part of Egypt getting out of Group D in second place behind Nigeria. His place at Arsenal may be under constant scrutiny, but he never disappoints on the international stage. He's also the Arsenal player ...

Nicolas Pepe had a disappointing performance against Crystal Palace Is this the end for Nicolas Pepe   Gunners legend Ian Wright was very critical of forward Nicolas Pepe after the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the Emirates.  He described his performances as ‘very disappointing,’ and Wright had a point, to be honest.  After a difficult start to life in England, the Ivory Coast international finally seemed to be hitting his stride in the Premier League.  However, there’s been another noticeable dip in his performance levels since the start of this season, and he didn’t feature at all in the 3-1 win against Aston Villa.  To make matters worse, Pepe’s value is dropping rapidly, meaning Arsenal must move quickly if they’re going to get any of the £75 million they invested back into the transfer pot.  So, is this the end of the road for the 26-year-old? Outshone by the youth Arsenal have found players better, younger, and harder working players in almost ev...

Arsenal v Crystal Palace review By Oscar Maung-Haley An injury time equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette salvaged a point for Arsenal in last night’s 2-2 Premier League clash against Crystal Palace. Here’s a review of all the action on the night that Palace manager Patrick Vieira returned to face the Gunners. A point gained or two dropped? It can be either or really, whichever way you spin it for both sides. Mikel Arteta’s men got the game off to the perfect start when Nicolas Pepe’s strike was parried by Palace keeper Vicente Guaita into the path of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who fired home to give the Gunners the lead. Aubameyang’s goal was certainly a positive for the Gunners, with the Arsenal skipper now having scored three in his last three home games. But two second-half goals for Palace from Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard saw Arsenal chasing the game with 20 minutes left on the clock. And late in injury time, they managed to find their equaliser when Lacazette netted followi...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal kept all three points in North London after a period of bad form.  Arsenal v Norwich – Match Review Arsenal finally kickstarted their Premier League campaign with a convincing 1-0 victory against Norwich. The clash was a crucial fixture after a disastrous start to the season and despite being winnable on paper - the Canaries and Gunners had both lost three games from three – few Arsenal fans expected a walkover. The scoreline ended up being somewhat deceptive, with the Gunners dominating much of the game – racking up a whopping 30 shots – and several players putting in impressive performances. The win moves Arsenal up to 16th, but will mean nothing if Mikel Arteta fails to lead his side to victory against Burnley at Turf Moor next week. Defence Despite the shaky start, Arsenal’s defence has appeared to have been steadily improving for a while now. And with every player fit, it looks as though Saturday’s back four could be the one for Arsenal to pers...