Mikel Arteta has told Football London that Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe is too inconsistent at the moment, and needs to work on his finishing.
Pepe has shown his best in flashes since his record breaking move from Arsenal from Lille.
The Ivorian winger once again produced a moment of brilliance as the Gunners beat Dundalk 3-0 last night.
The attacker rolled to ball onto his right-foot, before unleashing a curling effort from the edge of the box, which went straight into the top corner.
Pepe showed great skill and invention by creating the opportunity for himself, but Arteta wants the wide-man to produce on a more consistent basis now.
“Sometimes it’s the simple things: the deliveries, the amount of situations he is able to create or attract and then make the right decision to keep evolving that final ball, the finishing, the positioning inside the box which he has to be more consistent at,” Arteta said.
“We are working on that and hopefully he will be doing that much more efficiently.
“It’s about finding the consistency. Not through the games, but during the games as well to be most instinctive and to be able to do the right things in many, many occasions where he has to make the right decisions on the pitch.”
Arteta words highlight why Pepe has not been a regular starter for Arsenal this term.
The tricky winger has been overlooked in favour of other options, with Willian seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order right now.
His goal last night is sure to have given Arteta some food for thought though, and he could well be rewarded for his display with a start at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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