Are Arsenal making the right choice with Nicolas Pepe?

Arsenal had played legions below their best level at West Ham and held a slender 2-1 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. Mikel Arteta had to make changes.

One of those was enforced as the returning Takehiro Tomiyasu struggled with cramp and fatigue, but that was it until the 87th minute.

Gabriel Martinelli was having a quiet game, Bukayo Saka was clearly suffering from tiredness and injury, and still the manager stood firm. Around this point in the game Arsenal had began to sit back and embrace the expected waves of Hammers pressure, leaving them to be a threat on the counter-attack.

It’s not often the case that the game state suits Nicolas Pepe as it did.

Are Arsenal making the right choice with Nicolas Pepe? Mikel Arteta is willing let his value drop in favour of progress with the rest of the squad

But the Ivorian never entered the field of play. That’s now the third match running where Pepe has had to watch on from the sidelines without receiving a call, with all three of those matches ending in victory despite tense moments in each.

A decision has clearly been made with the record signing. One that will have been discussed between Arteta, Edu and those higher up about how the manager can proceed for the rest of the season.

What is inarguable is that the Arteta does not like this player. It’s possible that he never truly has.

Being part of the past regime isn’t the reason, it’s down to what he offers. As has been the case for some time, Pepe doesn’t offer Arteta what he wants. Nobody can blame him holding that belief, as it is widely shared among the fanbase.

However, him not getting any minutes at all is having an impact on a valuation that has gradually been declining since the minute he walked through the Emirates doors. A sale in the summer will be in the club’s mind, yet it would appear they have given their blessing to Arteta to focus his attentions on fielding those who he trusts to clinch them top four.

Securing a Champions League place and continuing to develop the exciting young core takes precedence over Pepe’s value every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

But for a club who’ve handed out their biggest ever contract to Aubameyang under Arteta’s guidance, only to then pay him to leave, and brought in Willian on stupid wages for that not to work out either, it would be entirely understandable for them to tell Arteta to suck it up and make use of the player they forked £72m out for – whether he was signed by another manager or not.

What Arsenal are effectively doing is not wasting their time. Pepe is a lost cause who will leave as soon as they can get him out of the door, and there is no use his minutes not being spent on developing those who do have a future at the club. He’s started just five Premier League games all season, and none since November. It doesn’t help being behind Saka in the pecking order, mind you.

The long-term gain of being back in the Champions League heavily outweighs losing value on an asset who already will leave for a fraction of that he was signed for.

As seen with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi et al, the club have taken a hit for the sake of the new vision and project. Pepe, however, stands to be the most expensive of those in his own way.