Ever since his record-breaking £72m move to Arsenal in 2019, nothing has really gone right for Nicolas Pepe.
He joined the Gunners from Lille 18 months ago but has rarely shown the quality required to become a success in the English top-flight.
There have been flashes of brilliance from the Ivory Coast international, but they’ve been just that: flashes.
In the main, the front man has been a huge disappointment, so it’s therefore no wonder that a former club legend has questioned Pepe’s suitability for the north London outfit.
“His game doesn’t suit the intensity and demands of the Premier League,” Robert Pires was quoted as saying in The Sun.
“Pepe wasn’t used to it and it has been complicated for him to change his mentality, to adapt to a new way of training and to settle in a tough league.
“I think he is simply not cut out for English football.”
Although nothing is clearly going to happen in the way of transferring Pepe in this window, Mikel Arteta may have to give due consideration to easing the player out of the Emirates Stadium exit door during the summer.
Though the club will surely have lost money on the player, he should still command a high enough fee that Arteta can re-invest wisely.