Former Arsenal forward, Roberto Pires has played down the relevance of the record signing Ivorian, Nicola Pepe at the Emirates Stadium, as he’s struggling to consistent at the club.
The 2003/04 league winner has berated the play of the African, stating that he has not made an outstanding display-inconsistent- in the long run since joining the North London side. Arsenal spent a huge 72 million pounds from French club Lille in the summer windows in 2019.
But, Arsenal is not willing to admit that the 25-year-old player has to be a liability for the club, but Pires brought the club out of their imagination stating that Pepe cannot keep his head above the Premier League waters, because his play does not suit English football.
‘His game doesn’t suit the intensity and demands of the Premier League. Pepe wasn’t used to it and it has been complicated for him to change his mentality, to adapt to a new way of training and to settle in a tough league. I think he is simply not cut out for English football.’ He clearly stated
Meanwhile, Pires has lauded former Gunners player, Mesut Ozil on the quality he brought to the team, tagging him a ‘club legend’. Recall that Ozil has not been favoured in the eyes of the Mikel Arteta.
Recall that the German who came in under Arsene Wenger has bagged 254 appearances for over seven years at the club, with a treble of FA Cup. Ozil has secured a deal to Turkish giants, Fenerbahce and has been unveiled this week.
“In my opinion, Ozil is an Arsenal legend; we must not forget everything he did for this club and the quality he brought to the team. For me there is no culprit in this story. I know Arteta and I know Ozil. The manager made a decision and Ozil had to accept it, which he did” he said
The French said that Ozil has not complained since he fell on the pecking order at Emirates, rather than that he did like professional, proffering solution to the problems by going to the Turkish side
“He never complained but instead continued to train like a professional. He has now found a solution to leave by signing with Fenerbahce and I think everyone’s happy — especially Mesut because he was the one most affected by it.” He told THE SUN
‘Being frozen out of the squad is very tough. That said, for me, Ozil has already gone down as an Arsenal legend.’
Pires has bagged 62 goals in 189 appearances for Gunners, winning two league titles, as well as two FA Cups.
Ninth-placed Arsenal will be hosting Manchester United at Emirates today which is a great test for the Arteta-led side.
