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Former Arsenal player Ray Parlour has asked for more consistency from Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian has struggled to adjust to life at the Emirates and has blown hot and cold since his much talked-about move to the club last season.
Pepe became Arsenal’s most expensive signing ever when the Gunners signed him from Lille for £72m in August of last year. The Ivorian arrived with a lot of promise after a series of excellent showings for the Ligue 1 side.
However, Pepe failed to justify his gigantic price tag during his first season at the Emirates and was a shadow of his former self. The Ivorian managed just eight goals from 42 appearances for Arsenal last season, a modest return for a player of his standards.
For the record, Pepe scored 23 goals from 42 games for Lillie in the 2019/20 season. This season, the Ivorian has scored just one goal from eight games in the league and Parlour believes that Pepe’s lack of consistency is something the player needs to address.
The Arsenal legend wants Pepe to turn up against big teams
The Ivorian hit a new low last weekend in the game against Leeds United, when he picked up his marching orders after headbutting Ezgjan Alioski. Arsenal drew the game 0-0, holding on for the majority of the second half with 10 men. The Gunners dropped down to 12th place in the league table.
After receiving severe criticism for his lack of professionalism, the Ivorian responded by inspiring Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Molde in the UEFA Europa League in midweek. Ray Parlour feels that it’s this Jekyll and Hyde run of form that has hurt Pepe during his time at the Emirates.
The Arsenal legend praised the Ivorian’s performance against Molde but asked for such performances against the bigger teams too.
"It's alright doing it against smaller sides - no disrespect to Molde - but you've got to do it against the big sides. You've got to make that impact that he made last night against your Leeds Uniteds and the teams in the Premier League," said Ray Parlour.
Parlour believes, that to be successful, Pepe needs to put in stellar performances consistently at Arsenal.
"He's showed glimpses he can do it in the Premier League but he hasn't done it on a regular basis. Again, you go back to consistency. You've got to do it week in, week out. You've got to be a seven, eight out of 10, week in, week out - and that's where you're going to be a real success at your club," commented Parlour.
