Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told the club’s official website that he has seen a major improvement in Nicolas Pepe in training.
Pepe has caught the eye on the pitch recently, with the Arsenal forward currently enjoying the best run of form throughout his Emirates Stadium career to date.
The Ivorian has hit two goals in his last four matches, and he has been a constant menace to defences throughout.
Arteta now thinks that Pepe’s improvement has largely been down to a mentality shift, with the club’s record signing starting to put in more effort during training.
He said: “Again, that he can maintain that level now for months, not weeks.
“I think he’s done much much better. I think there has been a click with him, even in his mentality, how he’s approaching every training session, the importance of every action in the game and how he can sustain his focus and his determination during games. I really like his attitude.
“What’s he’s done in the last few weeks I think it’s been much better. He still has a lot of room to improve and grow and he’s willing to do that so I’m expecting him to go to the next level very soon.”
After these comments it will now be interesting to see what Arteta does in terms of his team selections.
Pepe has been shifted out to the left recently, which takes him into direct competition with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang may not have had his finest season to date, but it would be a big call to continue to back Pepe to start over him, now that he is back available again.
Arsenal are next in action against Leeds United on Sunday.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
