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Transfer Talk: Nicolas Pepe – Could the Arsenal flop shine at the King Power Stadium?

Nicolas Pepe’s struggles with Arsenal are about to end as the Gunners prepare to offload their big-money signing. The Ivory Coast international signed for the English Premier League side in 2019 and has failed to make an impact in the league. He has struggled to cement his place in the starting XI, and Arsenal have lost their patience with the player. Some of the clubs in the league are interested in signing the player, and one of them is Leicester City. The Foxes have failed to land any of their targets and once again, they have left it late in the transfer window. Pepe features on the right, and Leicester need a player on that particular side. The 26-year-old has shown his skills on the ball, and some of the stats from the last two seasons show how he could be a great addition to Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Nicolas Pepe Leicester City English Premier League 2021-22 Data Stats Analysis

Last season, Pepe made 23 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners. He started in only eight matches, and five of those came in the English Premier League. The right winger scored three goals and provided six assists. The above viz shows the pass start location and the threat created from passes at different time intervals. We can observe that Pepe made full use of the right-wing and delivered some passes into the opposition’s penalty box to find his teammates. Pepe averaged 34.4 passes per 90 minutes with an accuracy rate of 86.6%. He provided two assists in 20 English Premier League appearances for the Gunners.

Nicolas Pepe Leicester City English Premier League 2021-22 Data Stats Analysis

Pepe was involved in 11.07 attacking actions per 90 minutes but had a low success rate of 33.67%. The above viz shows all the shots that were attempted by the forward. He averaged 2.7 shots per 90 minutes with an accuracy rate of 20.83%. He attempted most of the shots by cutting inside from the right side and was able to score a goal in the league last season. Pepe averaged around five touches inside the opposition’s penalty box per 90 minutes. He attempted more than six dribbles in every match and had a 52% success rate. Pepe’s game was affected by the limited game-time he had on the pitch.

Nicolas Pepe Leicester City English Premier League 2021-22 Data Stats Analysis

In the 2020/21 season, Pepe made 51 appearances for the Gunners, in which he scored 16 goals and provided six assists. The forward made 29 league appearances, and these included 16 starts. He was able to score ten goals and also provide an assist. Pepe was involved in 11.99 attacking actions per 90 minutes and had a 40.6% success rate. He averaged 2.5 shots per 90 minutes with an accuracy rate of 32.65%. The other stats were quite similar for the winger.

Nicolas Pepe has made 80 appearances in the English Premier League and has some experience playing top division football. He is a great talent who failed to shine for the Gunners. Now, he will have the opportunity to prove his worth and could regain his form under Brendan Rodgers. Leicester City would monitor his situation and sign him accordingly.