Mikel Arteta is convinced Nicolas Pepe can overcome his underwhelming start at Arsenal to develop into a world-class talent.
Ivory Coast forward Pepe has endured a difficult transition to Premier League football following a summer move from French club Lille for £72million and done little to justify his club-record price tag.
The Spaniard, who played a prominent role in the development of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane at former club Manchester City, feels Arsenal’s struggles have contributed to the player’s failure to impress.
“I think it was obviously a big change for him to come here from France,” said Arteta.
“As well, he found a team that in that moment wasn’t performing at their best, probably the environment for him to settle wasn’t ideal.
“It’s not only about him. We are here to help him. If he’s willing to learn, if he’s willing to work hard, I am sure he has potential to be top, absolutely top.
“He showed in two or three actions already (against Bournemouth) how good he can be. But he has to be consistent.”
Pepe has featured in 16 of the Gunners’ 19 top-flight fixtures, making 10 starts.
After 22 goals saw him finish second only to Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe in last season’s Ligue 1 scoring charts, he has managed just two so far in the top flight.
Arteta, who was named Emery’s permanent successor on December 20, admits it will not be a straightforward process to provide Pepe with the belief to succeed.
“The problem with confidence is he’s confident only if he plays,” said Arteta.
“If he trains well enough to convince me, then I have confidence in him. It has to be a mix between the two.
“We can’t demand the strikers or the attacking players to generate things like this,” he added with a click of his fingers.
“They have to have the play sustained behind them, to tie everything together.
“We need to arrive in better positions as many times as possible for them to be able to create as many situations as we want.”
Arsenal, who spent Christmas in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1983, remain in 11th position ahead of the clash with Frank Lampard’s Blues.
