Arsenal: Is Nicolas Pepe the new Granit Xhaka?

Death, taxes and Arsenal fans disagreeing on the serviceability of a player. Some things in life are inevitable. Unavoidable. And here, 93 matches into his north London career, Nicolas Pepe continues to divide opinion.

In the absence of a fully fit Emile Smith Rowe against Norwich, Pepe took his place out on the right wing where he would remain for the entire 90 minutes. Starting with the unarguable, the Ivorian was heavily involved throughout.

An opening 20 minute spell not akin to the usual gameplan under Mikel Arteta had the right side of the pitch in the spotlight, seeking to isolate Pepe against Brandon Williams. A few corners were won and the winger/full-back battle opened up for engrossing viewing.

His involvement continued into the second period where Arsenal were more threatening for longer spells, and as the full-time whistle blew, no player in red and white had more touches of the ball than Pepe’s 81. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was second with 71.

Is Nicolas Pepe the new Granit Xhaka at Arsenal? The polarising opinions of the Ivorian nearly 100 games into his Gunners career may never dissipate

More importantly, he created the most chances (6), completed the most dribbles of any Arsenal player (3) and got the crucial assist even if there was a thick slice of fortune in how he found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Good numbers. Very good numbers. He was integral in the play, influential in the final third with six shots and brought some balance to the attack.

Similar statistical figures can be brought up for Granit Xhaka. In any one game you can pull out how many passes into the final third he made or his cumulative distance in progressive distribution and it paints him in a bright light.

Then you can watch said game back and conduct an inquiry into perceived numerical deception as he takes countless touches before turning on the halfway line, or how his progressive passes and balls into the final third only ever reach the same man on the same left hand side.

Pepe had the output on the pitch with the aforementioned stats, but what about some of his dreadful first touches, the five dribbles he failed and the near pointlessness of him receiving the ball with chalk on his boots just after the halfway line that added little to tempo of the build up play?

As the full-time whistle blew, opinion was left split as it always is: Pepe either played an instrumental role in claiming three points or he was overly wasteful and the sooner Bukayo Saka shows him how to play right-wing the better.

It might be both forever.

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Nicolas Pepe Will Always be Divisive – It’s Unlikely He’ll Ever Change

Debates over whether having Pepe in the side is worth the hassle of frustration and some of the bizarre decisions he makes in the final third will rumble on for as long as he plays in the Premier League.

The benefits he has of being an explosive forward who can conjure up moments of brilliance and directness will always be fighting a battle of balance with his less favourable traits.

Wrestling for a combination of his own influence and the manager getting the best out of him, it was interesting to see Arteta add emphasis on Pepe getting on the ball more against Norwich. A low touch player who thrives in transition and being in and around the penalty box, his usage in deeper zones and during build-up play was intriguing, as these are generally the areas where he’s of least threat.

Having Aubameyang in the side as the low touch forward might have influenced Arteta’s plan, but it resulted in some wasteful moments in low-danger parts of the pitch and some undesirable first touches.

And yet, despite all the issues, he could easily have scored the only goal were it not for a stunning Tim Krul save – and he made the most chances in the game.

A squad like Arsenal’s demands players who have killer instinct and an eye for goal merely due to the lack of goal threat spread out among the group. Pepe is someone this team needs. Whether from the start or not. Most would say as a bench option, though.

Pepe has what others don’t and needs what others have. That’s the bottom line. Where the perennial dissension lies is on which outweighs the other. At 26 years of age with teammates ahead of him in the pecking order, that may be everlasting.