Arsenal and Chelsea splashed out this year for Nicolas Pepe and Christian Pulisic respectively.
Pundit Jamie Redknapp has told the Daily Mail that he thinks Christian Pulisic and Nicolas Pepe are in similar situations – but predicts they will ultimately ‘come good’.
Pulisic was the hero for Chelsea this weekend, scoring a perfect hat-trick – left foot, right foot, header – in the 4-2 away success at Burnley.
The American was a big £58million signing from Borussia Dortmund earlier this year (BBC), and the expectation was for him to replace Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge.
It’s been a slow start for Pulisic, as Frank Lampard has kept him on the fringes of the Chelsea side, but after a couple of impressive cameos, he earned a start against Burnley – and took his chance brilliantly with his hat-trick.
Pulisic now has a chance to nail down a starting role after his slow start, and adjusting to the Premier League is something that Nicolas Pepe has had to do at Arsenal too.
The Ivorian winger joined from Lille in a £72million swoop over the summer, with Arsenal shattering their transfer record and handing him a £140,000-a-week contract (Spotrac) in a hugely exciting move.
Pepe has been criticised by many for not scoring enough goals, having only found the net once – and that was a penalty. His all-round displays have been a little inconsistent, but the widespread slamming of his start to life in the Premier League has bordered on unfair at times.
That’s something pundit Redknapp feels too, suggesting Pepe needs more time having compared his situation to that of Pulisic, believing there is no rush for either player to make an impact as they’re both long-term investments, branding the criticism of Pepe ‘ludicrous’ whilst predicting that they will both come good over time.
“Frank Lampard knows what he is doing with Pulisic,” said Redknapp. “He is taking care of the 21-year-old forward. The American is obviously keen to impress – he cut short his summer holidays so he could get to Chelsea and impress his new boss as soon as possible – but there is no rush.”
“The same goes for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal. Yes the Frenchman cost a club record £72m but can we not give him time before branding him a flop or bad buy? To write the 24-year-old off after a few months is ludicrous and downright unfair. I believe Pepe will come good, and I think Pulisic will, too,” he added.
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