Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe more of a Gervinho or a Hazard?

Arsenal need wingers, in case you haven’t heard, and reports of Nicolas Pepe have hopes up yet again. Is it too soon to talk about Gervinho fears? Or is he a Hazard?

Arsenal’s gross lack of wingers has left their attack looking very narrow and very one-dimensional. They are using strikers and central midfielders as wingers in light of the crucial absence that they created by not addressing their current shortage over the summer.

Although it’s not like they didn’t try. Arsenal were on the heels of some big names, like Kingsley Coman, Leon Bailey, Ousmane Dembele and more. If these rumors are to be believed, then the intent was there, but the follow-through (or funds) wasn’t. Most likely the funds.

Finding cheap wingers isn’t going to be the easiest thing in the world. Not viable wingers anyway. Which is why the arrival of Nicolas Pepe to the rumor pool is pretty exciting. He fits in the rare middle ground of not being a big-shot, but not being so young that the potential is just out of this world. He’s 23-years-old and has only just last year had his true breakout year at Lille.

Naturally, the parallels are inherent. Arsenal have bought a winger from Lille before. His name was Gervinho and he was never able to live up to the same numbers that he put up at Lille. He had his uses, and had plenty of skill, but it just wasn’t a good fit.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

But Eden Hazard also came from Lille.

So which is Pepe? Well, the easy answer is that he’s neither, he is himself and no one else. But it wouldn’t be very sporting of me to ask the question and cop out with an answer like that. If you go by numbers alone, he’s a Gervinho thus far. But again. He’s only just had his breakout year (13 goals, 4 assists). Hazard’s breakout year (7 goals and 10 assists) was followed by an even bigger year (20 goals and 16 assists).

Gervinho’s breakout year (and eerie 13 goals, 4 assists) was followed by an improvement, but a smaller one (15 goals, 9 assists) before he moved to Arsenal and barely reached double digits combined.

Until we see what Pepe does this year at Lille (and at Arsenal too?!) we won’t be able to compare more numbers. He does, however, already have a goal and three assists.

Price-wise, he is rumored to fetch £31m, which for a winger at his stage, really isn’t that bad. It’s reasonable, which is the most we can ask for. Also, don’t panic that Pepe is Ivorian, just like Gervinho. I swear he can be more Hazard than Gervinho yet.