Things have gone fairly well for Arsenal under new manager Unai Emery so far this season.
Ahead of the start of the busy festive period, the Gunners sit in fifth position, three points behind fourth placed Spurs and four points behind Chelsea in third.
It’s the performances on the pitch that have been most encouraging for Arsenal supporters. There are still some obvious gaps and things to improve on in the team, but this is a side that look a lot more likely to mount a challenge for a top four spot than the one last season.
One recent setback was an injury to Danny Welbeck, who had started the season in good form with five goals to his name in all competitions and was becoming an increasingly appealing option for Emery.
However, the England striker suffered a serious ankle injury in Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon earlier this month and has since undergone two operations.
The injury could spell the end of Welbeck’s Arsenal career, with the striker out of contract at the end of this season and his setback has apparently led to a rethink at the club ahead of the January transfer window.
It was initially thought that Arsenal were unlikely to add to their squad in the middle of the season, but it’s now being reported that they will attempt to sign an attacking player to bolster their options.
According to The Times, the club have made Lille winger Nicolas Pepe one of their main targets for January.
Pepe is said to be valued at £27 million, with the Ivorian also apparently attracting interest from Spurs and Manchester City.
Here’s everything you need to know about the player at the top of Unai Emery’s January wishlist.
Who is Nicolas Pepe?
Pepe, 23, is an exciting winger that is flourishing in Ligue 1 this season.
He is predominantly used as a right-winger that likes to cut inside onto his favoured left foot and, with eight goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season, he’s become very good at making those direct runs between the centre-back and full-back. He’s got a knack for getting into goalscoring positions in a not too dissimilar way to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Raheem Sterling.
The Ivorian’s rise to prominence came after impressing in the lower leagues of French football as a youngster. Pepe eventually earned himself a move to Angers in 2013, making his professional debut a year later.
5 – The players with the most shots in the Top 5 European leagues this season:
Cristiano Ronaldo – 88
Nicolas Pepe – 55
Sergio Agüero – 54
Lorenzo Insigne – 51
Edin Dzeko – 51
Boom. pic.twitter.com/gUJ5bYaB9x
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 12, 2018
He spent in year in their B team and was shipped out on loan to US Orleans. When he returned, he was deemed ready to make an impact in Angers’ first team and managed three goals in 33 league appearances during the 2016/17 season.
In June 2017 Pepe signed for Lille for a reported €12 million (£10m). He’s made 52 appearances for Lille to date, scoring 22 goals.
Pepe was born in France but represents Ivory Coast at international level and made his senior debut for them in November 2016.
He has gone on to make nine appearances for Les Elephants to date, scoring three goals. His most recent international appearance came in Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea, where they secured qualification for next years tournament with a 1-1 draw.
Why is he attracting Premier League interest now?
In a nutshell, Pepe offers something that has become essential for the modern day wide player – an end product.
His impressive goal record has made him the fourth highest scorer in the league.
Lille have enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign and are currently positioned in second place having won eight of their opening 13 league matches and Pepe’s form has played a big part in their success so far this term.
At a time where ‘wide forwards’ that score a lot of goals are becoming increasingly popular in the Premier League, it’s no surprise that a lot of England’s top clubs are keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old.
Pepe pipped Kylian Mbappe to become Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September, making him the first African player to win the award since Sofiane Boufal in April 2016.
The winger is a player that looks like he’s only going to get better and, when you consider his goal record for Lille, who knows how many goals he’d be able to score in a team full of top class midfield and attacking players?
How would he fit in at Arsenal?
One of the gaps in Arsenal’s team this season is the right-wing position.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the man that usually occupies this role, but he has has only been able to manage two goals and one assist so far this term.
Alex Iwobi started the Gunners’ last game against Wolves on the right but he is more comfortable cutting in on his favoured right foot from the left side.
Even under Arsene Wenger Arsenal lacked a natural fit in this role and Pepe looks the ideal player to fill the void.
As a left-footed winger, Pepe would offer Unai Emery something very different in the attacking third and his goal record makes him a very appealing option.
Will this deal go through?
It seems like Arsenal certainly want it to, but a January deal may not be possible.
Lille are reportedly asking for around €30 million (£27m) for Pepe, which is not a bad price for a player that’s scored as many goals as he has in one of Europe’s top leagues. Money shouldn’t be a problem.
However, the player himself has recently gone on record as saying that he will not move away Lille in January. In an interview with French outlet Telefoot, Pepe was asked whether he would be leaving at the start of next year, to which he replied “No, I’m not leaving.”
Pepe has reiterated how happy he is at Lille on a number of occasions and, considering how difficult it can be for teams to deprive others of their best players halfway through the season, a January move could be a tough one.
Lille owner Gerard Lopez has admitted that the Ligue 1 side will sell players in the winter window, but says Pepe won’t be one of them.
“It’s true. Several big clubs are interested in him (Pepe),” Gerard Lopez said, via RMC Sport .
“Some clubs have contacted us directly after the transfer window to know what the state of play is.
“I want him to stay until the end of the season as a minimum. We’ll certainly sell (players in January). We’re starting to have players who are not happy with their game time.
“If we can, we’re going to sell players who have good qualities but less game time. We’ve got five centre-backs, for example.”
We expect there to be Premier League interest in Pepe in the upcoming transfer window, but we think a move could be more likely next summer.
The post Who is Nicolas Pépé? The player Arsenal are ‘looking to replace Welbeck with this January’ appeared first on Squawka News.
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