The absence of Alexandre Lacazette through injury has left Pierre Emerick Aubameyang with a whole lot of responsibilities to shoulder. He almost always seems lonely upfront. When he heads down the ball, there is no one to collect. When he's outside the box, you wonder who would he be assisting to score.
Nicolas Pepe for has been so much below par. I know a lot of quarters would argue that he is still trying to settle and get his feet on the ground, but for how long. Coming from Ligue 1 is not an excuse. We had a Marouane Chamakh, even though he came on a Bosman deal and did not end up being the Arsenal kind of player in the end, he did not take forever to settle. We have an Olivier Giroud who despite his profligacy in front of goal was always a threat, even with his limited skillfullness. Do I need to mention the tireless Alexandre Lacazetter who has grown immensely into a fans' favourite and every Arsenal fan would kill to see him stay, should he decide to leave.
These are numerous French connections that have come and lived up to their hype. It is just so sad that we had to cough out £72 million and already 8 weeks into the EPL season, we are yet to see a glimmer of what we hoped for. I know the price tag may also be playing a role in Pepe's lacklustre perfomances, still, I beleive he should be doing more than he is doing currently. We have seen glimpses of what he can do with the ball, we just need him to be more productive with his final balls and finishing. Oh my, I still feel hurt! How I still very well remember the terrible miss against Liverpool that could have changed the face of that game. For an attacker with such level of skills, he should run towards defenders more and commit them, not shying away from them as if they bite.
Martinelli who is just a teenager has hit the ground running already. In fact, Dani Ceballos, who is on loan has been more productive than our club-record signing. If we keep saying that, perhaps, the record fee is a whole lot of pressure on him, we have seen Lacazette and Aubameyang come in at different times as the club's record signings and hit the ground running immediately. I can even still picture Lacazette's first goal just 94 seconds into his debut, that sumptuous header against Leicester, to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead. The match though intensely contested, ended 4-3 in Arsenal's favour. How soon can we forget Aubameyang's first Premier League goal for Arsenal, that lovely chip in the 5-1 thrashing of Everton on February 3rd 2018.
This is not to downplay the talent Pepe's possesses, however, if you are coming in with that kind of price tag to meet people who have been signed for lesser and not living up to expectations, it definitely would hit a snag where everyone would not be able to take it any longer. I still am surprised as to why he gets a standing ovation whenever he is been substituted. Well, maybe this is done to encourage and give him support, just like Aubameyang allowed him to take that penalty kick in the comeback victory against Aston Villa to help boost his confidence.
All these said, I, more than anyone else really wish that Pepe can get his footing. We are getting short already in the wide positions and the younger ones also need someone to look up to. I will continue to support him and I just hope he does not do a "Shevchenko at Chelsea" for us.