Arsenal: Can we worry about Nicolas Pepe yet?

Nicolas Pepe again lacked confidence and conviction in his play during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Is it time to start worrying about the £72 million record signing?

There was a lot of hope for Nicolas Pepe when he arrived at Arsenal this summer. After 20-plus goals and 10-plus assists last season for Lille, the only player not named Lionel Messi to achieve such statistics in a top-five European league, it was widely expected that he would provide the attacking inspiration for the Gunners this season.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Welcome to the big time, Bukayo Saka

And if his early performances were anything to go by, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic. While Pepe did not start the first two games of the year, there were several moments where he illustrated his quality on the ball. Quick, bursting dribbles, snapped shots, cheeky nutmegs. They were nothing but fleeting glimpses at what he might be capable of, but they were enough to forecast a bright first season in north London.

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

He then backed those flashes with an excellent first start against Liverpool, causing Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk serious problems with his technical quality, explosive acceleration and direct play. He may have ultimately squandered decent opportunities, but there were enough positives to draw for fans to only grow in their excitement for the £72 million man. But since that time, his performances have deteriorated, those eye-bulging moments have grown more infrequent and the confidence has seeped out of his game.

Pepe struggled mightily at Old Trafford last Monday, losing the ball with poor touches, playing wayward inaccurate passes, and finding himself easily handled by 21-year-old Axel Tuanzebe. The ferocious speed of previous outings was seemingly absent and he lacked the drive and directness that made his every touch so riveting. He lost his conviction, for a dribbling, darting, purposeful winger, that is the most limiting of problems.

His next start came on Sunday, a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth. It was not the most convincing Arsenal display, even if it came with a rare clean sheet, and Pepe contributed to this unsure, cautious, nervy approach, especially in the second half.

He did provide the lone assist, curling in a dangerous corner that David Luiz glanced into the far corner, and he perhaps could have won a penalty after skipping past Diego Rico, though the call might have been a harsh one on Bournemouth, but his overall play was, in a word, tentative, which is precisely what you do not want from a wide player. It was telling that Unai Emery withdrew Pepe and not 18-year-old Bukayo Saka midway through the second half.

It is still early days for Pepe, of course. His early struggles do not mean that he will never deliver on his eye-watering price tag. As we have seen with many players before, acclimating to the Premier League is no easy task, and Pepe is playing out of the French domestic system for the first time in his career. It was never going to be an easy adaptation.

Nevertheless, that does not mean that fans should not be worried. Writing him off is, of course, a little hasty, to say the least. But the concerns are justified, because at present, Pepe just does not look up to it.