Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is remaining optimistic that both Willian and Nicolas Pepe will rediscover their best performance level for the Gunners.
Willian showcased his ability during his time at Chelsea, which will have left Arsenal fans with high hopes when he signed along the dotted line with them over the summer.
Nicolas Pepe, too, while untested in the Premier League, was making mincemeat of Ligue 1 while at Lille. He has been off the boil for his entire Arsenal career to date.
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Pepe earns £140K-a-week at Arsenal, as per The Sun, with Willian on £220K-a-week, as the Daily Mail report. That’s a total of £360K-a-week, for two players which have lost their spots in the starting eleven.
That’s hardly ideal for Arsenal from a business perspective, with their poor performances doing little to aid Mikel Arteta in his attempts to save their season.
Arteta was quizzed on the topic after the game, and he’s doing all that he can do, really, and that’s to hold out and hope that they hit their stride sooner rather than later.
Arteta on Willian and Pepe, who fell short once again today against Southampton.
Will they come good, #AFC fans? pic.twitter.com/bgyIR0XScf
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 23, 2021