Pepe challenges Saka and Bellerin for Arsenal Player of the Month award

Shina Oludare

Pepe challenges Saka and Bellerin for Arsenal Player of the Month award image

Nicolas Pepe has been nominated for the Arsenal Player of the Month award for October.

The Cote d’Ivoire international compete with September’s winner Gabriel Magalhaes, Anglo-Nigerian Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin for the monthly gong.

Pepe, 25, who joined the Emirates Stadium giants on August 1, 2019, in a club-record fee of €79 million (£72 million), was in fine form for Mikel Arteta’s side in the month under review.

He was on target as the Gunners silenced Sheffield United 2-1 in a Premier League outing, while recording his name among the goalscorers as Arsenal defeated Irish league outfit Dundalk 3-0 in the Europa League. He also got an assist against Rapid Vienna in the European competition.

For Saka, he has excelled in his makeshift defensive position with solid defensive and attacking contributions for the Gunners while hitting the net against the Blades.

Bellerin and Gabriel, on their own part, were in blistering form that saw Arsenal lose just twice in six outings.

On Thursday, the quartet is expected to be in action when Norwegian side Molde visit England in a Group B Europa League fixture.

The 14-time FA Cup winners lead the log with six points from two games. On Sunday, they take on Aston Villa in an English elite division game.

With Pepe yet to justify his price tag from Ligue 1, Arteta stated the Ivorian must be more consistent while offering to be of help.

"It's about him hitting his best, every single week. I believe this is where he believes he can do better and we have to try to help him,” the Spaniard said per Goal.

"I think he's so willing to do well and show everybody and first of all his team-mates, myself and then the fans that he's a player that can make the difference every week. 

"Obviously, he's not been first choice in a lot of games but, to be fair, he's played quite a lot of moments better than others.

"It's about finding the consistency, not through the games but during the games as well, to be more insistent and be able to do the right thing in many, many occasions when he has to make the right decisions on the pitch.

"We are working on that and hopefully he will be doing that much more efficiently."

 

Shina Oludare