Rebooting the future has to begin with acquiring young talent with potentially bright time ahead. And with the little amount Arsenal had they have already done wonders, to say the least. I, personally was never a fan of Arsenal board, known to make ridiculous decisions by sending players for free but the purchase of Nicolas Pepe has made me head over heels for the club.
Literally, that’s one huge transfer to have been happening. £72 million for a young forward. Change is constant, but not when it comes to spending/trusting/depending heavily on strikers. Lately, we have seen a change in money being showered on defenders and goalkeepers but still the largest earners have been strikers.
Nicolas Pepe comes from Lille after an illustrious performance in the last season of Ligue 1 where he finished only second to Kylian Mbappe in the goal scoring tally with 22 goals and 11 assists under his belt.
There are a lot of things to be praised about Arsenal’s future prospect but before we do, let’s learn a little more about him:
Player Profile:
Full Name: Nicolas Pépé
Date of Birth: 29 May 1995 (age 24)
Place of Birth: Mantes-la-Jolie, France
Playing position: Winger/Forward
Who is He?
Nicolas Pepe, an international of Ivory Coast originally began his career as a goalkeeper. Intriguing, isn’t it? Later when he was fourteen he started playing in the outfield and hence began the making of Pepe.
Pepe’s senior career of football began with Poitiers in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 (fifth tier) in the year 2012-13. The forward knew only one way then; moving forward. Following his stay at Poitiers, Pepe joined Angers where he laboured from 2013-2017.
Though in this tenure he had loan spell to Orlean for an year. In 2017, Pepe was scouted by Lille and little did he know that he was going to make history. A mundane debut season was followed by a scintillating season of eye-watching football.
22 goals and 11 assists was enough for the Frenchman to bring him to London.
What will Nicolas Pepe bring into Arsenal?
Having mastered the art of finishing, Pepe will face a tough competition playing alongside Lacazette and Aubameyang. But imaging the bromance turning into a footballing threesome(spare me the use of this word), wouldn’t it be great.
Nicolas Pepe has got everything a manager would demand from a striker. He can play as a winger/forward. He is apt with long range shots and equally adapt with his dribbling skills. He can create space for his players and assist them on time or ever screen past the defenders and score for himself.
So much of Lacazette to sound. The French duo is going to be lethal. Wait wait! Imagine the speed of Aubameyang orchestrating with the creativity of Pepe. There’s a lot to think about. The youngster may even be worthy for us if any of Lacazette/Aubameyang gets injured.
And if you’re worried about the fitness of Lacazette, don’t be. Pepe and Auba can be a brilliant duo running like a speed demon on the sides with Mesut Ozil as a number 10. The German knows how to bring out the best from his players and to get his experience with Pepe’s talent will be brilliant.
Some may be cribbing about the absence of a defender and Arsenal not paying any heed for such but the purchase of Pepe is beyond exemplary. To buy a youngster in Pepe has overshadowed the absence of a defender and it is the goals that will now count for Gunners.
A strength to our squad and a pride to the fans, Pepe has made London go Red. Welcome to Arsenal, Nicolas!!!!!!!
