Nicolas Pepe produced arguably his finest performance of the Premier League season when Crystal Palace travelled across London for a Monday night clash with Arsenal.
But Pepe’s best display against a Patrick Vieira side didn’t come under the Emirates floodlights in mid-October.
The Ivorian international was at the peak of his powers when Lille hosted Nice at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in February 2019 – irrepressible, unstoppable.
Vieira, who was Nice manager at the time, would have been breathing a sigh of relief when Pepe crashed an early shot against the underside of the crossbar but, as so many other Ligue 1 managers discovered that season, French football’s breakout star wouldn’t be denied for long.
Cutting in from the left following a slaloming run that started inside his own half, Pepe curled a trademark, picture-perfect shot into the bottom corner of the Nice net, the cherry on the top of a tasty cake as Lille cruised to a 4-0 win.
“We were punished by a team far superior to us,” Vieira told L’Equipe at full-time. “They had too much speed, too many individual qualities.”
Pepe would finish 2019/20 with 23 goals and 12 assists, paving the way for a £72 million, club-record move to Premier League giants Arsenal.
But, as you may have guessed given the fact Pepe is being linked with a move to Vieira’s Crystal Palace two years later, via Jeunes Footeux, performances like the one against Nice in February 2019 have been few and far between in Arsenal red.
Will Nicolas Pepe leave Arsenal for Everton or Crystal Palace?
According to the report, Newcastle United and Everton have also made an enquiry about a man who has started just five of a potential 11 Premier League games under Mikel Arteta this season, failing to build on his impressive form in the spring.
And if one performance sums up Pepe’s Arsenal career, it came almost two years ago – just seven months after his mesmerising display against Nice.
The Gunners beat West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium that day with Pepe scoring a wonderful goal – but that was the only saving grace in what was another wasteful, what-could’ve-been display.
“I think for everyone involved (it’s a relief Pepe scored against West Ham) because (Arsenal) are expecting he’ll make the difference,” said now-Everton boss Rafa Benitez, working for Sky Sports at the time.
“Arsenal have paid big money and they will be waiting (for Pepe to perform). After two or three games, if you don’t change, if you don’t do something more, you lose confidence quickly.
“I think it’s important for (Pepe) to have this confidence now for the rest of the team to believe he can make the difference in some games.
“But he has to do it in the next games or he’ll lose confidence quickly.”
And that’s Pepe in a nutshell. Confidence rising and falling from game to game. A highly gifted footballer looking like a world-beater one minute and worthless the next.
Vieira and Benitez know first-hand, however, the potential Pepe has.
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