The £ 72 million signing hasn’t always impressed this season, but he scored a crucial goal in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Sheffield United.
Mikel Arteta says something has clicked inside Nicolas Pepe after the Arsenal club record signing starred in his 2-1 victory at Sheffield United.
The £ 72 million ($ 90 million) winger scored from the spot in Bramall Lane when the Gunners booked their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals thanks to a injury time winner from Dani Ceballos.
It was Pepe’s eighth goal of the season and his second since the restart, and Arteta believes the Ivory Coast international now shows why Arsenal invested so much in him last season.
“I am very excited about what he is bringing to the team,” said the Spaniard. “I think he made a click, I think he realizes what he must do for the team also when we don’t have the ball.”
“I am very happy today, if you see his defensive action, it is incredible what he was doing, and then with the ball he gives us the creativity, the talent that the great teams need.” He is always unpredictable when he has the ball. It is going in the right direction. “
Arteta added: “I really like it. From the past, I did not know him personally, but I think he is a player with incredible potential, but he must be decisive in every game.
“You need to take care of the moments of the game when you get disconnected a little bit and you can’t do that.” I will be very persistent with him to try to change that because if he is at his best, he is a player who can make a difference for the team. “
Pepe opened the scoring for Arsenal at Bramall Lane when he came home from the penalty spot midway through the first half after Alexandre Lacazette had been shot in the box.
That was his 16th direct participation in the goal of the season: only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, at 21, has had more for Arsenal since the beginning of the season.
Since the turn of the year, the winger has scored four times and established another three and Arteta believes his shape is a sign that he is now beginning to settle in England.
The Arsenal head coach said: “It is very important to try to understand the player, his feelings, how difficult it has been for him to adapt to a new country and a language that he does not understand and cannot speak to his teammates” . .
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“But he is very willing, he is a very kind boy, he is always smiling, he is always positive with everyone. He’s a little free-spirited, but that’s good because you need those kinds of characters on your team and now he’s showing his commitment to us.
“I don’t know how it felt before, we just tried to produce the right environment for the players and treat them a little bit individually for their needs.”
“Hopefully we are in the right direction with Nico and he can feel that he has our full support and sole goal so that we can try to improve him and make him decisive for the team.”
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