Mikel Arteta explains Nicolas Pepe plan as Arsenal star absent from US tour
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Nicolas Pepe’s injury concerns are a reason behind him not attending Arsenal’s pre-season tour to the US, whilst talks will be held regarding his future.
The Gunners’ record signing was a notable absentee from the North Londoners’s squad as they made the trip to the United States. It comes after Pepe had fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
The 28-year-old was sent on a season-long loan to Nice last season but could only score eight goals in 28 appearances. There was speculation that his absence could be down to an imminent move away.
However, Arteta has since confirmed that he is restricted to the sidelines, whilst he also hinted that talks would be held regarding the Ivorian winger’s future. He explained: “At the moment he is recovering from an injury which is why he’s not here.
“He had a spell on loan and obviously we wanted to get much more than we got from that loan spell. We have to see when we come back, understand what the plans are and make the right decision for him.”
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Pepe was signed for £72m back in the summer of 2019, and he has just one year left to run on his contract with the Gunners. He also confirmed that he would return to North London for talks over his immediate future.
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“I will return to Arsenal. I was loaned without an option to buy so I have to go back to Arsenal,” Pepe revealed.
“I don’t know [about my future] yet. When I get back, I’ll speak with the coach and everyone and see what everyone’s ideas are and then we’ll make a decision.”
In all, Pepe has represented Arsenal on 112 occasions in all competitions, scoring 27 goals. The vast majority of those outings came under Arteta. The winger has remained complimentary of the Spaniard’s influence but did admit frustration at the way he had fallen out of contention with Arsenal.
He added: “He [Arteta] improved me in every way. He spoke to me the whole time, I watched videos with his assistants all the time.
“He really believed in me. He said I had incredible potential, so we need to extract that potential.
“At the end of the first season, he spoke with me and told me to do this or that. The second season comes along, I was a substitute. I was going mad. How could I be a substitute when he said he counted on me? Everything is spinning in your head.”
Pepe has not made a Premier League start for Arsenal since October 2021 in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
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