Arsenal’s failure is now becoming a bigger waste of cash than Nicolas Pepe

The response to Arsenal’s draw on Saturday could have been a bit excessive, but it surely’s comprehensible.

In spite of everything, Mikel Arteta’s aspect have come near profitable the Premier League title 3 times earlier than however have didn’t win it, so Manchester Metropolis’s incapacity to capitalize on their drop in factors will at all times fear supporters.

Nonetheless, for those who take a step again, issues are nonetheless fairly good for the Gunners, who’re seven factors away from Metropolis within the league and into the fourth spherical of the FA Cup, and are one recreation away from the League Cup last and prime of the Champions League.

Nonetheless, it must be mentioned {that a} small variety of gamers should not fairly pulling their weight, together with one who’s susceptible to failing much more than Nicolas Pepe.

Why Nicolas Pepe was an enormous failure for Arsenal

After a fairly promising first season in cost, Arsenal determined to deliver again Unai Emery in a giant approach by breaking the membership’s switch file and signing Pepe for a whopping £72 million in the summertime of 2019.

Issues began comparatively effectively for the previous LOSC Lille star, who got here to the fore in an away recreation towards Liverpool and ended his debut season with eight objectives and 10 assists in 42 video games, profitable the FA Cup.

Nonetheless, there was a slight feeling that he wasn’t fairly the game-changer that followers anticipated him to be, and that feeling solely grew over the following two seasons.

For instance, though he had a superb efficiency within the Europa League, within the 20/21 season he solely performed in 29 league video games and was concerned in 11 objectives, and within the 21/22 season he hardly performed and was concerned in 9 objectives in 23 video games.

It was clear at that time that he had no future in North London, and he spent the 22/23 season on mortgage at Good, earlier than his contract ended by mutual consent in the summertime of 2023.

Total, though Pepe had some magical moments throughout his time at Arsenal, he by no means lived as much as the hype and is due to this fact remembered by many as an enormous failure.

Sadly, Arteta and co could have simply signed a participant who shall be seen as an excellent greater waste of cash.

Arsenal’s greatest failure since Pepe

Now, Arsenal have a number of gamers who’ve carried out under common this season, however it’ll come as no shock that Victor Gokeres is extra susceptible to failing than Pepe.

The previous Sporting CP star joined the Gunners in the summertime after a very sensational spell in Portugal, scoring 97 objectives and offering 28 assists in 102 video games.

So, whereas it was acknowledged that they have been taking part in towards a weaker opponent, there have been nonetheless hopes that Arteta would add extra objectives to his assault.

Sadly, aside from a couple of high quality moments right here and there, like towards Leeds United and Atletico Madrid, that did not occur.

For instance, in 26 appearances and 1,755 minutes for the Gunners, the 27-year-old has scored simply eight objectives and supplied one help.

It is a low common of two.88 objective involvements per recreation, or each 195 minutes, and never ok for a top-9 participant.

Moreover, it isn’t like he is contributing something greater than objectives or assists, and for many video games he is virtually utterly nameless, besides when he takes a heavy contact or slows down the build-up.

That is one purpose why one analyst described the striker as “painful” to look at this season.

Which will sound harsh, however as issues stand, it is laborious to disagree, particularly with the North Londoners combating so laborious to win the league.

In spite of everything, he could deliver good outcomes in the future, however for now Gokeres appears to be like like an excellent greater failure for Arsenal than Pepe.