Granit Xhaka has hailed Nicolas Pepe’s Arsenal form since Mikel Arteta modified his role.
Pepe joined the Gunners as their most expensive player in the year of 2019 following a £72 million move from Lille.
But the Ivory Coast international has been quite inconsistent in the 18 months since joining Arsenal.
Arteta has often praised the jet-heeled attacker but also stressed the importance of him performing to a high standard more regularly.
Instead of using him on the right, the Spanish coach has deployed Pepe down the left-hand side of attack for Arsenal in recent weeks and it seems to be helping the player, evident by his performances and goals.
And Xhaka has admitted that to him, his Gunners team-mate certainly looks more of a force down the left.
He said via Football London: “Pepe is very important for us. He looks very good on the left if I’m honest. He made the difference in the last few weeks. He’s very fast and can run in behind.”
Arsenal are jetting off to Athens in preparation for a Europa League clash tomorrow with Benfica.
The tie is delicately poised at 1-1 and Arteta really needs his biggest and most talented players – like Pepe – to help his side get over the line and reach the last 16.
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