Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe not a problem that needs solving

Arsenal fans are irate about Nicolas Pepe, because they always have to be upset about something, but this isn’t a problem that needs solving.

Freddie Ljungberg‘s first Arsenal starting XI wasn’t met with applause. It was met with arched eyebrows and one big question—where is Nicolas Pepe? The Ivorian winger was shown out of the starting XI by Unai Emery, and apparently Freddie didn’t see the immediate need to show Pepe back in.

In fact, Ljungberg didn’t even give Pepe a chance to provide the attacking spark. Instead, he called on Bukayo Saka first, and Gabriel Martinelli after. Nicolas Pepe was left seated, with fans again questioning why their record signing isn’t being used.

I get the frustration. I get why fans feel like he’s being wasted. The big argument is that we spent so much money on him, so might as well use him. And that makes sense, sure. But between Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, we spent a lot of money as well.

He’s acclimating damnit! Don’t let money dictate your decisions. It never has at this club, for better or worse (almost always better), so why start doing it now? Just because you spend a lot of money on a player doesn’t mean that you have to play him.

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Honestly, if that had been adhered to with Mesut Ozil, maybe we would be in a much different situation with the German playmaker, who knows.

The point is, nothing is going wrong with Pepe at all. He’s been here less than half a year. You expect him to be ripping the world apart immediately? Sure, that’d be nice, but realistically, can we just go back, look at the history of ever, and realize that most players take time to figure out how to make it consistently in the Premier League.

The fact that Freddie Ljungberg carried on the same path is not an indication that there is anything deeper going on here. There is nothing to worry about. Come back to me at the end of the year if nothing has changed and we can talk. Even then, we’ve invested five years into this guy. This is not a “now or bust” kind of thing.

Nicolas Pepe is going to be just fine. I feel like I have to say this two, three times a month. There is nothing to worry about here. There is no problem. Just chill out and watch it develop.