Nicolas Pepe is an amazing player but he needs time, admits Unai Emery
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has sent a clear message to Nicolas Pepe as the club record signing has had a tough start to life at the club. Players are always subjected to high expectations of fans and Emery believes that Pepe needs time to adapt to that and England before he can flourish.
Nicolas Pepe has admitted he has been lacking confidence in recent times. The £72 million signing produced a horror show against Manchester United as he went on to give away the ball 17 times. It saw Unai Emery field a changed team against Standard Liege in Europa League, with Pepe starting off the bench. It also saw youngsters like Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson shine, which does offer Emery a selection headache ahead of their next Premier League game.
But the former PSG manager wants Pepe to find the rich vein of form that he had last season and earned him a move to the Emirates Stadium over the summer window. The Spaniard went on to admit as much, even adding that it is never relevant for them to talk about the transfer fee and compare it to players, as it puts undue pressure on them.
“They are human, every player. We are playing every time, as a coach or a player, under pressure. Under pressure is a positive. Being under pressure is because we are at a big club with a very demanding objective. It’s a privilege to be here. The players are here because they deserve to be here and they are privileged to be here,” said Emery reports the Mirror.
“That privilege brings pressure, of course. But it’s positive. Not for the salary, not for how much the club paid for him. It’s not relevant for us to speak about the money. The players are not thinking about the salary or what one club paid to use him. I am not thinking about my salary when I am the coach. For us it’s natural to play under pressure."
The Ivorian flourished at LOSC Lille, finishing his final season there with 22 goals and 11 assists in all competitions form that he has failed to reproduce. This has caused a few problems for Pepe and Emery went on to add that while he believes Pepe is a great player, the Ivorian needs time to adapt to England and a brand new club.
“I am sure that Pepe is an amazing player, I am sure he is going to have a big career here but he needs time. A lot of players when they came here, the first month, the first year is not easy for He still needs to play, get confidence, know progressively better the other players, our work. I think he is progressing,” concluded Emery.
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