Arsenal target Wilfried Zaha runs the rule over Nicolas Pepe: 'I've seen the talent he's got'

On target: Nicolas Pepe has scored just one goal in eight since joining for a club-record fee
Getty Images
Tom Dutton9 October 2019

Wilfried Zaha has spoken up in defence of Ivory Coast team-mate Nicolas Pepe, calling on Arsenal fans to show patience in the club's record signing.

The Gunners moved for Pepe after failing with a bid for Zaha in the summer. The 24-year-old arrived to much fanfare, signing a five-year contract after the Gunners agreed a structured deal for the Lille winger worth £72million.

But Pepe has scored just once - a penalty in the win over Aston Villa - and assisted two in eight Premier League appearances for Arsenal as he continues to adjust to life in England.

It is a stark dip in form for a player who scored 22 goals and set up 11 in France last term, while his stuttering start has been brought into sharp focus by the impressive displays of young team-mates Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

But Zaha has urged supporters to 'give Pepe time' as he attempts to settle in north London.

"I see the social media, I see everything and it's a thing where he needs time. He's come from another league, he's young," Zaha told the BBC.

"There's this price tag that he has not put on himself, people have put that on him because of his performances, so you've got to give him time for him to reproduce that, it's not going to come like that.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Bournemouth | 06/10/2019

1/33

"I have got nothing but faith in him, I've got confidence that he will produce the same thing that he did before, because we both play for Ivory Coast, I've seen the talent he's got, but not everyone sees it.

Arsenal lodged a bid for Zaha in the summer but moved on after failing to agree a fee with Crystal Palace
Getty Images

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in