Unai Emery has praised Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe on UEFA.com and has said that he is getting more and more confident.
Emery worked with Pepe when he was the manager of Arsenal, and the Villarreal boss has spoken highly of him now.
The 25-year-old winger joined Arsenal from Lille in the summer of 2019 when Emery was the manager of the Gunners.
Back in May 2020, the Spaniard told The Guardian that he actually wanted to sign winger Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace instead of Pepe.
Emery told UEFA about Pepe: “[Nicolas] Pepe is also an important player, who I think is settling and getting more and more confident.”
Important player for Arsenal
Pepe has not had the best of times at Arsenal and has struggled for consistency, but the winger has started to add that to his game in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old is an experienced footballer, and the Ivory Coast international needs to do consistently well for Arsenal, especially as he has been at the Emirates Stadium for almost two years now.
According to WhoScored, Pepe has made 13 starts and 12 substitute appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal this season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in the process.
The winger has also made eight starts and three substitute appearances in the Europa League for the Gunners this campaign, scoring five goals and providing four assists in the process, according to WhoScored.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Pepe made 22 starts and nine substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners, scoring five goals and providing six assists in the process, according to WhoScored
The winger also made two starts and four substitute appearances in the Europa League for the North London club last season, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the process, according to WhoScored.
Arsenal will take on Villarreal in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final tie this week, and Pepe will be determined to put on a show.
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