Nicolas Pepe has told fans that he's "determined" to turn his Arsenal career around after a tough pre-season.
The 27-year-old winger found himself playing second fiddle to the likes of Bukayo Saka last season - and has now had his opportunities further limited by the arrival of fellow forwards Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos. Firmly down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta, Pepe hopes that the new campaign - which will be his fourth at the Emirates - can represent a fresh start, having been linked with a move away.
As the Gunners squad headed home following a successful pre-season tour of the United States in which they won all three games, the out-of-favour Ivorian wrote on Instagram : "I worked hard during the summer. Change lot of things. I'm focus and determined with @arsenal and my teammates."
Newcastle, Everton and Leeds are just two of the clubs linked with signing Pepe, who could be available on loan as Arteta aims to streamline his squad. Unlike last season, though, Arsenal will now have a Europa League campaign to handle and it may present the former Lille star with chances to shine throughout the season.
Pepe was signed three years ago by ex-manager Unai Emery, as the north Lononders forked out a club-record £72million to secure his signature. Starting just five Premier League matches last term, the No.19 is still among those who technical director Edu might fancy flogging in remaining weeks of the summer transfer window.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Edu explained how problematic it can be to ship out unwanted players. "No, it's not easy. But it's part of our job," the Brazilian admitted. "We try to create an opportunity for the player.
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"For me, the most important thing is to make the player understand why he is here or why he needs to go. And then we have to create some possibility with the player's agent and find the best possible solution."
Arteta, on the other hand, says that Arsenal are short of options in multiple areas and is keen to add to his five summer signings before September 1. "We are where we are," the Gunners boss began after his side thrashed London rivals Chelsea 4-0.
"Obviously, at the moment we have injuries, you can see that we are still a little bit short in some positions for the way that we want to play but it is something that we are trying to address. We have increased the quality of the team for sure and the level of the squad is obviously something that we want to keep raising."
