Arsenal new boy Albert Sambi Lokonga has named Nicolas Pepe as the one player he can’t wait to play with next season.
The Belgian joined us from Anderlecht and got a chance to play with our first team in our friendly against Milwall on Saturday. He came on in the second half and looked really good, and Arsenal fans can’t wait to see more of him next term.
Lokonga, however, says he can’t wait to play with Arsenal’s record signing. He also went on to name the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka as well, but Pepe was the first name to come out of his mouth.
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Lokonga: I’m really excited to play with Nicolas Pepe
He told Arsenal Media: “I think Pepe [is the one I am most excited to link up with].
“But I’m also looking forward to playing with Aubameyang, Lacazette, Saka also, so yeah, I hope to have a connection with all the players and quickly.”
Pepe is a fantastic player to watch and it really isn’t a big surprise to see Lokonga name him. The Ivorian, when he’s in full flow, is almost impossible to stop, and the upcoming season will be a hugely important one for him.
The former Lille man had his best campaign in an Arsenal shirt last term. He directly contributed to more goals than any of his teammates, and his performances, especially in the final few weeks of the season, showed us what he’s all about.
Pepe’s only problem at Arsenal has been his consistency. He has not been able to deliver every week, but to be fair to him, Mikel Arteta deserves a bit of blame for the Ivorian’s problems last season.
The Arsenal boss refused to start Pepe consistently last term. He only started 16 games in the Premier League, and he managed to score 10 goals, including five in his last three.
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Arsenal fans will be hoping to see more of Pepe next season, but it will be difficult as Bukayo Saka deserves to start on the right-wing just as much as the Ivorian, if not more.