This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
October 3, 2019, marked a significant day for Arsenal as manager Unai Emery expressed his commitment to unlocking the potential of Nicolas Pepe, the club's record signing from Lille.
Pepe's transfer to the Premier League side was a significant move, with the British media reporting a fee of around Sh9.2 billion. However, the 24-year-old has struggled to make an impact, scoring only one goal in seven league appearances.
Emery remains optimistic about Pepe's future, stating, "Pepe is an amazing player. I'm sure he is going to have a big career here." The manager acknowledged that the forward needs time to adapt, saying, "He needs time… a lot of players when they came here, the first month, the first year is not easy for them. But I'm going to work with him to make that adaptation easier."
Emery also emphasized the importance of perspective, telling reporters, "You're a privileged player to be here as I'm a privileged coach… and we are playing to achieve something important. It's demanding but I'm not feeling pressure as a negative thing. I'm very demanding to push players."
Regarding the pressure on Pepe, Emery brushed off questions, saying, "They are human, every player. When they are here working, playing, with us… we don't want and it is not relevant for us to speak about the money."
