Arsenal: The pressure is on Nicolas Pepe

While Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli continue to win matches for Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe fails to have the impact he should. With options now plentiful for Mikel Arteta, the pressure to deliver is now on.

Arsenal have one of the greatest crops of young talent in world football. From the Hale End graduates like Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah to those that they have signed at a young age like Gabriel Martinelli and Matteo Guendouzi, there is a group of burgeoning stars now breaking into the first team at the Emirates.

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And based on their performances and production, they are not just developing into significant contributors to the senior team; they are ready to be relied upon on a weekly basis right here and now. For those in the starting XI, then, that has one very obvious consequence: they must perform.

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For no individual is that more true than Nicolas Pepe. The £72 million club-record signing was meant to be Arsenal’s premier attacking threat. A blistering, left-footed winger who had scored 20-plus goals and recorded 10-plus assists in Ligue 1 last season, all at the age of 23, it was hoped that Pepe would provide the team with a genuine goal threat from out wide with the pace and technical skill to beat defenders, create chances from nothing, and release pressure.

At times, Pepe has produced these elements. His dribbling skill is clear to see, holding off defenders before bursting past them with searing space and wonderful close control. He has scored some fabulous goals, including two freekicks against Vitoria SC and an equally aesthetically pleasing curled effort against West Ham United. His set-pieces have been especially pleasing, particular his inswinging corners from the right side.

But in all this, the consistency has been lacking. There is inconsistency in what he produces, going quiet for several games without scoring or assisting a goal. But there is also inconsistency within matches, often isolating himself, not getting involved and aiding the overall shape and progression of the team. He slows down the play, does not press with the same intensity as his teammates, and when he is not producing sensational moments, adds questionable value to the side.

In contrast, the young players are flourishing. Martinelli has scored 10 goals on the season, the second-most in the squad, Saka is an excellent all-round contributor, smooth and reliable in possession, while even Nelson has looked sharper under Arteta, if not possessing the same awe-inspiring ability as Pepe. And with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now back in the fold, Arteta has other options to turn to.

It is presumed that Alexandre Lacazette will start as the centre-forward. Aubameyang will then command one of the wide positions, likely off the left. There is then only one more position in the front three, and with Nelson, Martinelli and even Saka and Eddie Nketiah pushing hard for that spot, Pepe must perform to keep his place. And after being outshone by Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah and Joe Willock against Bournemouth, it is fair to question whether he has done enough.

Arteta has given every player a clean slate to prove themselves. But that also means giving them a clean slate to disprove themselves. And at present, Pepe is closer to the latter than the former. The pressure, then, is on. He needs to produce, and he knows it.