Arteta must bench Arsenal’s big-money player who will be the new Pepe

Arsenal have suffered some form of faltering last season, but much of the recent criticism has been overblown.

The Gunners are top of the Premier League, six points behind Manchester City (with a game in hand). Mikel Arteta’s side are also through to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second year in a row, with Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone awaiting.

Bukayo Saka does not act at the level of acquaintance and lover. The 23-year-old will return to his world-class form in the future, but this has been a difficult campaign for the England midfielder, as has Gabriel Martinelli.

The star players may have been overused during Arteta’s tenure, but he has tried to turn things around. Sadly, the changes left something to be desired this season.

Why Arsenal are struggling in attack

The goals are fresh for Arsenal, who won 1-0 on aggregate against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, having lost to Bournemouth, Southampton and Manchester City in recent weeks.

There are improvements to be made, but Arteta and technical director Andrea Berta are ready to attack the summer transfer window with venom – and hopefully become the reigning Premier League champions.

The truth is that Arsenal’s attacking openness is nothing to be confused with in the English top flight. If anything, they have struggled to switch to a more direct position than their rivals, rising to the top on many occasions behind specialist deliveries from the likes of Saka and Declan Rice.

There are other aspects. Saka’s burnout is evident, and questions have been raised over the recent signing and subsequent form of Noni Madueke, whose performance did not reflect his £52m price tag when bought from Chelsea.

Madueke, 23, is a talented centre-back, fast and furious and direct, but he has yet to prove he is of the quality required in a challenging starting XI.

But he’s not the only one, one of Arsenal’s most expensive strikers has quickly become a new version of Nicolas Pepe.

Arsenal star has become the new Nicolas Pepe

Pepe arrived at Arsenal with a weight of expectation, but the truth is that his best moments have been far outweighed by big disappointments, running out of too many games.

Now, Viktor Gyokeres is likely to emerge as a new version of the dynamic Ivorian winger, who is somewhat inconsistent at the front of Arsenal’s system, even if he is scoring at a decent rate.

Arsenal signed Gyokeres from Sporting CP last summer, acquiring the Lisbon striker for around £64m. In Portugal, he has scored 97 goals in 102 games, being rated as “the hottest striker in the world” by talkSPORT broadcaster Flex.

It’s fair to say that he has yet to establish himself as a world-class part of Arteta’s squad, even as he approaches 20 goals.

The thing is, Pepe has closed the door on his Emirates career having enjoyed a great comeback. He scored 27 goals and provided 21 assists in 112 games for Arsenal in all competitions.

However, he never quite hit the big French form while plying his trade at LOSC Lille, and was, of course, overshadowed by a hefty £72m fee that put him on the back foot from the start.

Could Gyokeres be treading the same ground? After all, the Swedish striker has done an excellent job in front of goal, all things considered. He has scored 18 goals in all competitions, scoring 12 goals in 30 games in the Premier League.

The stats will continue to show a huge edge, as the 27-year-old has missed just ten big chances in the top flight. However, he has only received 5.5 passes per game, completing just 18% of his dribbles and winning only 32% of his aerial battles.

Arsenal have a seismic game looming, taking on Manchester City at the Etihad this weekend. If Pep Guardiola’s men can win, they will move within three points of the leaders – and they have a game in hand there.

Gyokeres will be vulnerable to isolation, so perhaps a more powerful striker, such as Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz, would be a smart option to go there.

Madueke may have been deceptive at times in an Arsenal shirt, scoring just two goals in the Premier League, but he was added as an addition to Saka’s right wing, while Gyokeres arrived hoping to lead the line for many years.

While Gyokeres can score, is he really the long-term answer to the number nine in this Arsenal team? Maybe not. Soon, Arteta will replace his big money signing, just like Pepe did a few years ago.

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