Nicolas Pepe told to mix up his game more at Arsenal
Adrian Clarke has his say on Arsenal attacker Nicolas Pepe's start to life at The Emirates
Nicolas Pepe has been urged to “mix up his game more” at Arsenal by former winger Adrian Clarke following his move to the club from Lille last summer.
The Ivory Coast international has been settling into life at The Emirates after having signed for the Gunners from the French club last year.
Pepe initially made something of a slow start to life in north London under Unai Emery, but he has shown promising signs of improvement in recent weeks under new boss Mikel Arteta.
The 24-year-old has scored six goals and made eight assists in all competitions for Arsenal so far this season.
However, former Arsenal winger Clarke wants to see more from the attacking midfielder as he continues to settle into life at The Emirates.
Speaking in an interview quoted by Metro, Clarke said: “If Pepe was the type of player that went on the outside [of the defender] we would be flying right now.
“I think he should mix up his game more, I think his decision making absolutely can be better and more consistent.
“I want to see him combining more often with [Alexandre] Lacazette or whoever is playing as the striker. I want to see those give-and-gos a bit more often.
“We’ve seen it a little bit more of late with [Mesut] Ozil and Pepe, which is really encouraging, we want to see more of that.”
Arsenal are currently in ninth place in the Premier League table and eight points adrift of the top four with a game in hand.
The north London side are scheduled to return to top-flight action with a home clash against Liverpool FC at The Emirates on 2 May as things stand.
However, it remains to be seen whether there will be further disruptions to the fixture list amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
