Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged club-record signing Nicolas Pepe to find more consistency after his performance and goal against Dundalk in the Europa League, suggesting it was a crucial game for the Ivorian as He looks set to begin his Gunners career.
Pepe has so far struggled to justify the £72m price tag that came with his move from Lille in 2019 and has only been on the sidelines this season. He has started just once in the Premier League and his only other starting opportunities have come in Europe and the Carabao Cup.
Pepe returns to Arsenal XI in Europa League / Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
But the 25-year-old made the most of his chance at a rotating Arsenal side against the Lilywhites, scoring the Gunners’ third goal in a 3-0 win.
Arteta explained that the key for Pepe is to find better consistency and improve his decision-making in key moments to be more effective.
“I think he is ready to perform well and show everyone – first of all, his teammates and himself – and also the fans that he is a player who can make a difference every week,” Arteta said. said later, via Arsenal.com. .
“Obviously, he’s not first choice in a lot of games at the moment but, to be fair, he’s had a lot of moments, some better than others. It’s about finding consistency. Not through games, but Being the most natural even during games and being able to do the right thing on the many, many occasions where he has to make the right decisions on the pitch.
Arteta looking for more consistency Pepe/GLYN KIRK/Getty Images
“It has nothing to do with his attitude. He is a player who takes risks. He is a very creative player and that is the most difficult thing in football. But sometimes it is the simple things: the delivery. , the amount of situations he is able to create or attract and then making the right decisions to keep developing that last ball, the finishing, the positioning inside the box that he has to be more consistent on. We are working on it and hopefully he will do it more efficiently.
It even comes down to relying less on his left foot, which can make it easier to defend against, which the player improved against Dundalk by scoring with his right.
“He’s been doing a bit more lately, going out,” Arteta explained.
“That’s something he can do. It’s just about that, he also draws people in and releases someone else with the last pass or the last delivery, to attack defenders. For and sometimes which foot has to be used to facilitate it.”
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