Arsenal: The 5 ‘new signings’ Gunners will benefit from next season

3. Nicolas Pepe

Arriving for £72 million last summer, you would be correct in saying that the expectations for Nicolas Pepe were somewhat high. Only Pepe and Lionel Messi had scored 20-plus and assisted 10-plus goals in a top-five European league in 2018/19. At 24, with a wicked left foot, imposing six-foot frame, and terrifying pace, Pepe was meant to be Arsenal’s elite wide player.

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Pepe never lived up to the expectations. His six goals and eight assists in just over 2,000 minutes in all competitions are not terrible numbers, but they certainly do not represent the elite production the Gunners were hoping for when they smashed their transfer record to sign the Ivorian.

However, Pepe was suffocated by Emery’s stagnant and isolating tactics. How many times did he receive the ball with two or three defenders immediately closing down his first touch with nowhere to go but to vainly attempt to wriggle free? The free-flowing service was non-existent, and for all of the bright moments he produced, there was no consistency, in large part due to the lack of support from other positions.

In his last seven league starts, Pepe produced two goals and three assists, as well as some of his most threatening performances. He was superb against Manchester United, key in the 4-0 win over Newcastle United, and was the Gunners’ only offensive threat versus Olympiakos, even if his slaloming dribbles rarely produced the desired end product. There is talent there, and if Arteta can tap into it more than Emery did, Arsenal will finally have the elite winger they thought were signing.