Mikel Arteta was questioned over his decision to let Arsenal club-record signing Nicolas Pepe leave on a season-long loan to OGC Nice in the summer. While the Ivorian had hardly impacted the first-team, he did allow for a rotation option during a busy season for the Gunners.
With the £72million man now gone, Bukayo Saka was left as the only senior option on the right-wing that has regularly featured for the side. Given the fact the side are now competing in the Europa League alongside the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, it proves to be a juggling act for Arteta to keep him fit and available.
"Look at the top players in the world. They play 70 matches every three days and make the difference and win the game," the manager claimed when asked about the youngster's lack of rotation. "If you want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that."
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The risk that comes with his number of matches comes both the chances of burning out and the increased risk of potential injury during the season. The latter issue became very real for the Gunners on Sunday as the England international limped off against Nottingham Forest.
In his place came academy graduate Reiss Nelson, who ended up scoring a brace in his return to the scoresheet in years for the club. It vindicates a decision made by Arteta in the summer, not only to let Pepe go, but to also keep Nelson at the club and part of the senior squad.
According to Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column, the 22-year-old winger was of interest to three clubs over the summer, however he was kept as a long-term solution. “Mikel Arteta was really happy with his approach to training. Nelson can be a really important player for Arsenal to be used when rotating their squad for now,” said Romano.
It continues a plan for the club to have players that want to play for the team and put everything on the line for a win. While his appearance at the weekend has already somewhat justified that decision, his appearances that follow could well be the deciding factor for their goals this season.
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