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da 888casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Arsenal legend Ian Wright has given his seal of approval on the Gunners’ new signing Nicolas Pepe and declared that the winger is a “world-class player”.
What did he say?
The Gunners confirmed the signing of the Ivory Coast international in a club-record deal on Thursday, and Wright has admitted that he never envisaged the north London side being able to pull such a move off.
He said (as quoted by Football.London): “I’m really in a positive vein now. This is the type of player we would think ‘Oh I wish we had got him’. Well we have got him, and the thing about this is that it is a deal we assumed would never be done, and it is brilliant.
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“Personally, I think we have got a world class player on our hands and I am not being over the top, or being over excited, because I genuinely believe that from what I have seen. He ticks so many boxes – goals, assists – but for me it is the directness and we miss that. We miss a player who can take players on one-on-one and beat them, who has the ability to receive the ball and turn, dribble and be direct at players; no defenders want to face that.”
A truly exciting signing
Make no mistake about it, the Gunners clinching a deal for the 24-year-old amidst all the competition, is something truly noteworthy. Much has been made about the north London side’s reported limited budget, and added to the fact that the club have no Champions League football to offer, pulling off a swoop for Pepe has to be applauded.
As Wright says, Arsenal desperately missed a wide player who could take players on and create opportunities out of very little. The Gunners were heavily reliant on Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score the bulk of their goals, but Pepe’s arrival can certainly help balance that.
The Ivorian racked up 23 goals and 12 assists across all competitions last season, and will add some serious firepower to the Gunners’ attack. A front three of Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette certainly seems like a mouth-watering proposition for the upcoming campaign.
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