Arsenal: A word of warning regarding Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal’s record-breaking signing, Nicolas Pepe, was left out against Barcelona, and now I come to you with a simple word of warning.

Everything changed when Arsenal bought Nicolas Pepe. The negative narrative of the summer completely turned around. Suddenly, it was one of the best summer transfer windows in recent memory.

But that all came to a screeching halt when Pepe was left out in the Joan Gamper trophy match against Barcelona. Unai Emery made it clear that he was taking it easy on Pepe, seeing as how he spent the summer participating in the African Cup of Nations, a competition that also saw Alex Iwobi missing for the entire preseason and likely subsequently missing the first few matches as well.

Last summer, following the World Cup, Lucas Torreira was in a similar situation and we relied on Matteo Guendouzi to hold down the fort until Torreira could get into the swing of things, and I think that we may be facing a similar situation here, with Reiss Nelson (hopefully) ready to take the reigns until Nicolas Pepe is fully fit and ready to go.

This may strike many as a poignant disappointment, and it strikes me the same way, but it’s not like this is a bad decision. If it’s a choice between starting an ambitious Nelson at 100%, desperate to prove himself, or starting a 40% Pepe who’s in a brand new world… what’s best?

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The correct answer is Reiss Nelson. This is a kid who has earned the right to play, and even if that means giving Pepe an elongated rest, it’s for the best. Let him feel like he’s in charge of his own destiny, because with the way Unai Emery does things, he may very well be.

I will say that even if Pepe doesn’t start, which I kind of doubt he will, we should still expect him to make a cameo appearance as a sub, probably late on in the match, when his energy and enthusiasm are all that’s required, and the whole “acclimation” crap can go kick rocks.

Pepe is going to have a huge impact on the season, but I just want everyone to be ready to the increasing likelihood that he doesn’t make the starting XI in the opener.

It’s a smart decision to inch him into the team. It may not seem like it, but it really is.