Nicolas Pepe’s time at Arsenal has not gone according to plan since making a move from French side Lille in a club record deal. Though he has contributed with a few goals and assists, he has not produced as much as fans would have liked.
Now, with Unai Emery gone and Freddie Ljungberg in charge he will be hoping that his fortunes will change for the better. And he made a good impression on the Swede during a training drill that had been set up before the match against Brighton on Thursday.
They were instructed to focus on transitions and Pepe pulled off a wonderful skill move which would surely have made a mark on Ljunberg.
Pepe was being closed down by Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Lucas Torreira but was able to wriggle out of that situation with a brilliant back-heel. This is the kind of skill that he will be hoping to produce on a regular basis for the Gunners.
One of the reasons for his slightly underwhelming form is that his selection in the team has been inconsistent. As a result of this, he has not been able to establish himself in the team.
Here is the video:
Ahead of the Brighton game, Ljungberg spoke about his intentions regarding Pepe. According to Metro, as he said:
“Nicolas is someone I plan on talking to, we’re going to have a little chat about how he feels about things. He’s an important player.”
This is encouraging as far as Pepe will be concerned as it shows that the manager still has faith in him. He should use this as fuel to show that he was worth the money that the Arsenal board parted with in the summer. It is difficult for a player to come from another country and adapt to the Premier League.
But if the manager shows that he has faith in Pepe, the Ivorian will surely come good. Hopefully he will be selected for the game against Brighton and if so, it is a great chance for the winger to show what he can do. Pepe’s pace and skill will be a real problem for the Brighton defense and fans will want Ljungberg to make use of this.
