Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe has revealed that he is unhappy with the amount of playing time he is being given under Mikel Arteta, report Sky Sports.
Pepe signed for Arsenal in what the BBC reported to be a club-record £72M fee. Considering that made him one of the biggest acquisitions in Premier League history, his performances since becoming a Gunner have also made him one of the biggest disappointments.
The Ivorian has only had a bit-part role to play under Arteta this term, with their Europa League campaign proving to be a happy hunting ground for him, but Premier League opportunities have been harder to come by.
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As a result, Pepe appears discontent at the Emirates. He is quoted by Sky Sports revealing that he is not getting the amount of game-time he would hope for with the North London side:
“A player who plays is happy. For me, I would like to play a little more to find a smile again.”
“He (Arteta) wants me to be 100 per cent focused during the 90 minutes of the match. Afterwards, I see during training that I will be a substitute the following weekend.”
“But the coach speaks to me, he also has assistants who are there for that. But it is frustrating for any player to be on the bench.”
“A super-sub role? The coach makes his choices. It’s up to me to show him that I don’t have that role.”
Arteta has a sizeable squad and keeping everyone happy is difficult, but Pepe would be a regular in the starting eleven if he proved himself worthy.
A few goals against minnows in the Europa League are not sufficient. He needs to up his game if he wants to prove to be a success in England’s top tier.