2 – Nicolas Pepe has his bags half packed
With Arteta naming the exact same starting XI for a third week in a row, we’re now confined to analysing who manages to make the bench.
The truth is that Arsenal are in desperate need of removing Nicolas Pepe from the squad if they want to make another signing and clear £140k per week off the books.
Saturday’s game gave us the biggest indication yet that his days as an Arsenal player are numbered after Arteta left him out of the 20-man squad at Bournemouth.
Pepe’s position on the bench was taken up by the £35m signing Fabio Vieira, who is now back in contention to feature after shaking off a pre-season foot injury.
But it looks to be a return to France for Pepe who is now in advanced negotiations with OGC Nice regarding a season-long loan move.
It’s believed Pepe is keen on the idea of getting more playing time given the fact his Ivory Coast will not be attending the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Arsenal are now looking to wrap up a deal for Pepe this week with the aim of bringing in one influential right forward that can challenge Bukayo Saka.