Arsenal legend Ian Wright has recently hailed Nicolas Pepe for his performances towards the end of the campaign.
Pepe scored twice for the Gunners in their recent win over Brighton, helping Arsenal to a 2-0 win over Graham Potter’s men. This came after he scored a brace against Crystal Palace as well, allowing Mikel Arteta’s men pick up a 3-1 win.
Wright talked about Pepe and his performances when he appeared on the latest episode of Match of the Day. The Arsenal legend made it clear that he’d have liked to have seen Arteta put more faith in the former Lille man earlier in the campaign.
Which season was better for Nicolas Pepe?
2020/21
2019/20
Before the Palace win, Pepe didn’t feature in the win over Chelsea but he did play 90 minutes against West Brom, scoring against them too.
Wright talked about Pepe and said (1:21:04): “16 goals, five assists and he’s somebody that you’d like to have seen faith shown in him earlier on in the season.
“He’s somebody that we know what he’s capable of; he’s got a lot of skill. This is a fantastic goal, his touch and finish is brilliant. He’s somebody we want to see these kinds of chances made for.”
TIF Thoughts on Nicolas Pepe…
While playing 47 games in all competitions, Pepe has contributed to 21 goals for the Gunners. That isn’t a massive improvement from his tally of 18 in all competitions from last season, but he had played less games in the previous campaign.
His overall rating in the Premier League last season was better than it has been in the 2020/21 campaign too, so while he had a very good spell at the end of the season, perhaps last season was a better one for the 25-year-old.
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