Has Nicolas Pepe been a better player under Mikel Arteta than Unai Emery?

Bengaluru, July 3: The Premier League return has been a mixed bag for Arsenal so far. Although Mikel Arteta has managed to brag second-most points behind Liverpool in 2020 but has suffered two heavy defeats already against Manchester City and Brighton in consecutive game weeks.

However, Arteta somehow managed to stable the ship again with much-needed wins against Southampton 2-0 at St Mary's and an FA Cup win over Sheffield United. But those wins have done a little help to the Gunners fighting for a place in next year's Champions League or a bright future. Despite such struggle, one thing that is looking to stand out under his leadership is the resurgence of the Gunner's record signing Nicolas Pepe.

Pepe Under Emery

Pepe joined the Gunners in a £72million deal in 2019 but failed to live up to expectations and eventually fell out of favour under Unai Emery. After getting chances in the starting line-up he was gradually demoted to the bench for his weak display. He only started in nine games while came off the bench in seven but registered only three goals and four assists. It was indeed a decent number given he was a newbie in the league. However, he failed to maintain consistency.

Pepe Under Arteta

Following the sacking of Emery, interim manager Ljungberg started him in the next four games but the result was similar. However, since the appointment of Arteta, the player now looks to be an integral part of the side who is almost guaranteed to be a regular started. It's not that he has touched sky height already with his display in this little time under Arteta, but the genuine improvement is definitely there.

Pepe has started in 13 games under Arteta while came off the bench in four. He has scored four and assisted further three, however his involvement in the pitch has been pretty influential. Arteta looks to have somehow tweaked the formation to accommodate the player heavily and Pepe now mostly acts as an inside forward, just like Raheem Sterling or Mohamed Salah.

His recent goals against Brighton is a prime example of it. Emery involved the winger majorly with his passing ability and his quality in chance creation. But Arteta looks to now working on to make him a better finisher of the ball along with all these traits. Overall, Pepe so far has looked a better fit under Arteta than Emery but only time will tell if he can take his game to the next level in the next season.