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‘So good, yet so bad’ – Arsenal legend rates club’s record signing

Nicolas Pepe, Arsenal
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Gunners icon Lee Dixon gave an honest opinion of how Nicolas Pepe has fared since his club-record arrival from Lille in 2019.

Arsenal are yet to see the best of an inconsistent Nicolas Pepe, according to Lee Dixon.

Since completing an €80 million move from Lille in 2019, Pepe has struggled to live up to his club-record fee. The Ivorian has, at times at least, impressed. But there have been moments where he has struggled to make his mark.

It was a similar story in Tuesday’s 2-0 EFL Cup win against Leeds. On one hand, Pepe got an assist for Calum Chambers’ first goal. His touch and shots, however, were poor in the final third.

“He’s a livewire, that’s for sure,” said former Arsenal right-back Dixon said on BBC. “That end product can be so good from him, yet so bad two minutes later.

“It’s a consistency thing. Churning out performances, churning out games, one after the other.

“Once you get that, then you start to be first on the team sheet. Then you will see the best of Pepe, but we haven’t seen it yet.”

Arsenal return to action on Saturday for a trip to Leicester City in the Premier League.

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