Nicolas Pepe traded north London for the French Riviera over the summer in a bid to get his career back on track following a disappointing time with Arsenal.
Nice was his destination, with a return to France’s Ligue 1 hoped to be exactly what he needed to find his feet once more. He wouldn’t be the only Premier League regular making the switch either, with Kasper Schmeichel, Ross Barkley, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Bryan all brought in by Nice owners Ineos.
Pepe was signed by Arsenal from Lille for £72million back in the summer of 2019 on the back of some scintillating form in France. So how has his return to the country worked out? Mirror Football takes a look over the Ivory Coast international’s season so far.
Tough debut
Nice had high hopes for Pepe when they signed him on a season-long loan. After all, this was a player who starred with 22 goals and 11 assists in a 38-game Ligue 1 season for Lille back in 2018/19. If they could instil a bit of confidence in the winger then the deal could prove to be an astute one for the club.
It’s fair to say that things didn’t get off to the best of starts. Nice were thrashed 3-0 by Marseille on Pepe’s debut as former Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez netted twice and Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares scored the other. To make matters worse, Pepe was then openly criticised by his new manager, Lucien Favre.
“He hasn’t played for a long time in England. He has done the pre-season with Arsenal but he hasn’t played any matches," he told Foot Mercato. "He is lacking a bit of rhythm, intensity in his placements, in his pressing as well and in his ball recovery, because everyone has to do that.
“There aren’t any exceptions. If one or two players don’t do the work, the whole team is in trouble. Everyone has to do it at the same time, everyone has to defend to recover the ball.”
Gathering momentum
After being slammed by Favre for his fitness and work rate, things have got better for Pepe. He was handed regular starts on the right-hand side of Nice’s midfield and has gradually worked his way into form, despite the team’s overall struggles.
Nice are 12th in Ligue 1, have won just three of their 12 league matches so far this season and have scored just 11 goals – only 19th-placed Ajaccio have netted fewer. That is not a side well suited to a flare winger, but Pepe has grown in confidence over the past few months.
French newspaper L’Equipe, who are renowned for their harsh player ratings, were particularly taken by his performance in a 3-2 win over Troyes on October 9, claiming fans got to see the Pepe “who shone in Lille, not the disappointing forward at Arsenal”.
“Oh yes, this is his best match,” Favre said afterwards. “I was happy to see him dribble, to see him come back on his left foot. He had chances on top of that.”
“He is growing,” Nice captain Dante added. “I am someone who is very demanding with myself and I will be with him too, because he has a lot of talent. I hope he will not start to be satisfied with his performances, even if they are very good.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Nicolas Pepe come good at Nice? Does he have a future at Arsenal? Comment below.
Finding his shooting boots
October has been a good month for Pepe, who has scored three goals in his past five games in all competitions. He now has four goals and one assist in 13 games altogether this season and is gathering some momentum ahead of Nice’s Europa Conference League match against Partizan on Thursday evening.
Pepe is Nice’s second biggest goal threat behind striker Andy Delort, who has six goals in 13 games across Ligue 1 and the Europa Conference League. The 27-year-old Ivory Coast international has attempted 25 shots and averages a goal every 233 minutes in the competitions.
His impact was clear on the weekend when he hit the post and kept his cool to net a 96th minute penalty to earn a 1-1 draw against Nantes. Pepe has already assumed responsibility for such high-pressure moments and that bodes well.
Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is definitely optimistic with his outlook on the winger. "I think Nico has done well," Ramsey told Mirror Football. "He's very sharp, a very explosive player. He's scored a few goals already. Hopefully, he can continue to keep producing and scoring goals for us. He's going to be an important player this season and, hopefully, we can help bring the best out of him."
