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Former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu has told Goal.com that Premier League teams are “already afraid” of Nicolas Pepe after seeing him in action this season.
What did he say?
Pepe joined Arsenal from Lille for a club-record £72m during the transfer window after an impressive couple of seasons with the Ligue 1 side that saw him score 37 goals in 79 games.
He has already made an impressive start to life in England, averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.26 in his first four appearances for the Gunners.
Former Nigeria international Kanu is clearly impressed by the 24-year-old and has claimed that other sides in the Premier League will be worried by his offensive threat.
He explained: “He’s a good player. If you watch him you can see he is a really good footballer and his feet are very quick. He is going to score goals and he is going to play well.
“I believe that teams are already afraid of him after a few games. They are scared of what he can do and what he can offer. He’s a very good addition.”
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Cutting edge needed
In an attacking sense, there is no doubting that the Ivory Coast international is a special talent. His goalscoring record speaks for itself, while his 3.8 completed dribbles a game is far and away the best amongst his Arsenal team-mates this term.
However, in today’s day and age, players are often judged on their goal contribution, and Pepe’s numbers needs to be at a really high level if he is to truly strike terror into his opponents.
His record in France is impressive, yes, but the Premier League is a step up in quality. Mohamed Salah and Raheem Sterling, players who are deployed in similar positions on the flanks as Pepe, already have five goals and/or assists this term. The Arsenal man has just one of the latter.
It is not as though he has not had the opportunity to get on the scoresheet. He should really have netted against Liverpool in the first half when one-on-one with Adrian, but his shot was too easy for the goalkeeper to save. His end product in that match was generally poor, failing to complete any of the four crosses he attempted.
There have been flashes of brilliance, but he has not yet done enough to warrant such high praise. If he wants to become one of the most dangerous players in the division, his contributions will need to be more concrete.
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