Arsenal
Arsenal told they do not deserve this player
Liverpool journalist Josh Williams has hinted that Arsenal do not deserve Ivory Coast international winger Nicolas Pepe, stating that he would have thrived more at Liverpool.
The North London outfit spent paid £72m on Nicolas Pepe from French Ligue 1 outfit Lille in the summer of 2019 but he has not been the player Mikel Arteta wants him to be. The former Lille forward has not been favoured with enough playing time in the Premier League as he has been restricted to bench roles.
The former Lille winger has only been favoured with playing time in the Europa League where he has been delivering impressive performance with some goals to his name.
However, Mikel Arteta has complained that Nicolas Pepe has not been consistent in his delivery ad performance, adding that he will only be given the nod to start ahead of Brazilian international Willian if he is more consistent.
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Josh Williams claims Nicolas Pepe has been on the interest book of the Merseyside outfit and he would have been a better player at Anfield
Speaking to the Blood Red Podcast, as transcribed by ThisIsFutbol, Williams gave his thoughts on Pepe and how he could have developed in Liverpool.
“Liverpool were vaguely linked with him a few years back, but I think Liverpool actually shot that one down quite a bit, but I’m inclined to think that if he did come to Liverpool, [Jurgen] Klopp would have used him really efficiently. He would have come in when he felt he could thrive.
“Rather than the way he’s currently being perceived, I’d expect him to be looked at as one of the league’s best attackers, probably – just simply because of how Klopp integrates these players in; he doesn’t rush them, gives them time, brings them in when the matches are correct.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has agreed with critics that his team is not good enough to win titles but he is confident that the team is on the right track to becoming one of the best in the league.
The Spanish boss took over the job at the Emirates Stadium some months back and has been able to restore a level of authority in the club. He has not just given the North London outfit a better outing; he has helped them to win games against big sides. Under his reign, the Gunners have already won the FA Cup title and the Community Shield.
Despite all of these, critics have noted that the North London outfit still have a long way to go before challenging for top titles in the coming years and this has been backed by the former Man City academy manager.
However, the North London outfit have suffered some setbacks this season and they sit 11th place in the Premier League with four wins matched by four defeats but they have enjoyed a perfect record in the Europa League so far.
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The last Premier League game against Aston Villa is one to forget by Mikel Arteta’s team as they lost 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta in his reaction claims his team still have a long way to g, noting that they are undergoing a process and results have to be immediate.
As he closes in on a year in the job, the boss is well aware of the hard work that still needs to be done if we’re to close the gap on our traditional ‘big six’ rivals.
“So far we have played 14 games in all competitions this season, we won 10 and lost four and the four of them have been in the Premier League, so it is a little bit imbalanced. There are a lot of things to do, short term and medium term, we have seen a lot of changes not only on the pitch but structurally as a club as well, it’s been difficult, it’s been a challenging time in the last three or four months, a lot of things have happened.”
It has been revealed that the English Premier League outfit Arsenal missed out on the signature of Aitor Fernandez from the Spanish La Liga outfit Levante despite having a big interest in his service.
The North London outfit were in a search for a new shot-stopper with Emi Martinez pushing for a move away from the North London outfit after a very impressive career at the Emirates Stadium last season.
Emi Martinez claims he cannot be a second choice goalkeeper again and the North London outfit were left with no choice but to let him leave to Aston Villa but replacing him was not as easy as seem.
The Gunners ended up bringing in Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson from Dijon as the 25-year-old was available and does not mind playing behind first-choice Bernd Leno.
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Aitor Fernandez, who joined Levante in 2018 is highly rated in the Spanish La Liga as he has stamped his authority in the league.
In an interview with AS, Aitor Fernandez was asked about interest from Arsenal and Athletic Club Bilbao, He made it very clear that both clubs came knocking for his signature but the deal for a move did not fall through.
“Yes, it’s true that there have been contacts. Quite a few clubs have asked, and those are two of them. But here I have been very happy, and I hope to continue being so.”
However, it is feared that Aitor Fernandez will not give his nod to the Emirates Stadium, knowing that he will have to sit on the bench at Arsenal and it is unbearable for him.
Meanwhile, the North London outfit have had no issues so far, with the goalkeepers as they have lived up to the expectation so far. Mikel Arteta’s team has been hailed to be more commanding defence than what he used to know before.
The former Gunners midfielder Mathieu Flamini has been speculated to be making moves to take over as Arsenal owner but he has come out to deny it, insisting that he does not have the resources to do so.
Mathieu Flamini was a successful player at Arsenal but his success in place of business is mouth-watering as he has become a big businessman but he does not intend to make use of his profit to buy the North London outfit someday.
The 36-year-old Frenchman had 246 appearances for the Gunners to his name, along with three FA Cup successes and a Champions League final appearance.
He might have gone into business, but he has been monitoring closely, how the Premier League heavyweights are faring and he still has eyes on playing the game actively before any talks of retirement.
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However, he is speculated to have €30 billion (£27bn/$36bn) in his account which he has denied. He told The Athletic “No! Don’t ask me how I’ll be involved in football, because it’s not something I’ve thought about. But, definitely, it’s something which I’ve been part of forever in my life. I will always want to be part of this community.”
Meanwhile, Mathieu Flamini has not retired from active football as he made it clear that he feels good and healthy.
“I still feel good and healthy! When you take care of your health, when you eat healthy, when you drink water, when you sleep well, I will say you age better. I’m feeling very good and I haven’t decided to continue or to stop, that’s the first aspect.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote has also reportedly made his desire known to buy Arsenal anytime in the future as he will not be ready for that until a level of listed achievements is met.
