Kolo Toure has claimed that you can ‘really trust’ Arsenal forward, Nicolas Pepe, but he is someone who is ‘struggling’ under Mikel Arteta, as he told Sky Sports Football (29/03/22 at 7:15 pm).
The Leicester City coach and former Gooner was making reference to the Ivory Coast and their problems after failing to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Pepe is a prominent member of the team, including starting for his nation as they were beaten 3-0 by England at Wembley on Tuesday night.
The last time the Arsenal flyer started a game in the Premier League was back in October, so earning back-to-back starts for his country over the international break would have done him the world of good.
That was touched upon by Toure, when talking about Pepe, as he stated that the Ivory Coast have ‘suffered’ because some players aren’t earning regular minutes at club level.
“We have Pepe, who at the minute, is struggling at Arsenal,” said Toure. “He is a player you can really trust.
“We (Ivory Coast) have enough quality up front, in the middle and at the back as well. We struggle with a few players not playing with their current teams.
“It makes us suffer a little bit because when they come to the national team they aren’t really fit.”
A club-record transfer, it’s fair to say life in Arsenal colours has been close to a disaster for Pepe.
The 26-year-old has shown signs of promise and hope, especially towards the back end of last season.
But during this current campaign, he has well and truly fallen off the footballing cliff again.
When Pepe was signed up by Unai Emery, someone like Bukayo Saka hadn’t made a name for himself on the big stage yet.
Given that Saka came through the Hale-End academy and cost nothing, it’s the England international who plays like the big-money signing and not Pepe.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
