‘I don’t understand’: Expert shocked as current Arsenal player deemed the next Nicolas Pepe

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Charles Watts says he ‘doesn’t understand’ why Arsenal’s summer signing Kai Havertz is being compared to Nicolas Pepe.

The English journalist and Arsenal expert agreed that things haven’t gone well for Kai Havertz following his transfer from Chelsea this summer, but he made it clear that the 24-year-old needs time, as he told Arsenal Insider.

In 2019, Nicolas Pepe was Arsenal’s club-record transfer, which has since been broken by Declan Rice, but on Saturday, he left the north London club for good on a free transfer – the player had a two-word message on his contract being terminated.

There’s no doubt that Pepe was a flop at the club, and even his loan spell in between back to France, didn’t work out.

It’s now about trying to pick up his career again, this time in Turkey, and the player is fully aware, if he struggles here, then he is in trouble.

Either way, Watts defended Havertz amid a crowd of criticism towards the player.

Havertz and Nicolas Pepe

“There have been lots and lots of comments,” said Watts. “I have been pretty amazed how every comment about Nicolas Pepe, somehow, they are managing to get Kai Havertz into it.

“I don’t get the Kai Havertz thing. It’s like too much. Everything seems to get turned around to Kai Havertz. I don’t understand how Nicolas Pepe’s situation can be turned around to Kai Havertz. I don’t get it.

“Yes, Kai Havertz isn’t doing great. He hasn’t hit the ground running yet. It’s annoying. We want him to do better. We hope he does better.

“Some are saying ‘why is Mikel giving Kai Havertz so many chances, he didn’t give Nicolas Pepe’. Havertz has played four games. Pepe played a season and a half under Arteta. It’s not like he didn’t get a chance. He played plenty. I don’t get that comparison.”

Havertz needs time

When Pepe joined, he arrived with Unai Emery in the dugout, he got booted out and then Arteta tried to pick things up and needed a lot of time to do so.

That was a very different environment to the one Havertz is in now. Pepe couldn’t suffer because everyone around him was struggling.

At Arsenal now, it’s far more stable, so Havertz is allowed this early dip, it’s just a case of him needing to showcase some form as soon as possible, or else, the critics will really get at his throat.