Arsenal have been issued a promising update regarding Nicolas Pepe, who has been nursing a knee injury. The 27-year-old winger, who is spending the season on loan at OGC Nice, is set to make his long-awaited return on Thursday evening in the Europa Conference League.
Pepe was withdrawn from the French giants' starting lineup in the build-up to their clash with Lille in late January due to knee pain. The on-loan Arsenal star was then later seen leaving the Allianz Riviera with a limp and he's been absent ever since.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of Nice's tie with Sheriff, Julien Sablé confirmed Pepe's imminent return and branded him an 'important' player in the sqaud. As quoted by GFFN, the Nice assistant head coach said: "Nicolas will be in the squad. It’s important for him to be back."
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With Pepe set to return, the Ivory Coast international has the chance to impress Mikel Arteta and fight for a place in the Arsenal squad next season. The winger faces a relatively uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium having recently entered the final 18 months of his contract with the club.
Prior to his loan, Pepe was heavily linked with leaving the Gunners, having fallen out of favour under Arteta. In December 2021, football.london understood that the Ivorian was frustrated with his situation and that he wanted to assess his options in January 2022 if his game time didn't improve.
Instead of leaving in January, Pepe joined Nice on loan for the season. He has since featured 23 times for the French outfit, directly contributing towards nine goals.
With his future in the balance, Arteta must consider whether or not the £8.8million-rated winger has a future at London Colney. And, it could take a lot to impress the Spaniard, who already has access to a wealth of great attacking options.
For a place in the Arsenal starting line-up, Pepe will have to dislodge Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli from the right and left-wing, respectively. Not to mention Leandro Trossard and Reiss Nelson, who have impressed when called upon this season.
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