Is Arsenal's attack now the strongest in England following Pepe arrival?

When it looked increasingly unlikely a deal could be struck earlier in the summer, Arsenal confirmed the club-record capture of Nicolas Pepe last week. The Gunners will pay £20m up front with the following £52m to be paid over the next five years as the club strengthened an area that needed improvement. A lack of input from out wide, particularly on the right, was one of the reasons behind Arsenal's failure to secure a Champions League spot last season. 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, for example, chipped in with just six goals and four assists as the Armenian’s inconsistency saw him struggle to nail down a regular starting spot and ultimately saw Unai Emery turn to a three-man defensive setup, with the wing-backs providing the width. The arrival of Pepe, then, hints that Emery may return to a system that utilises wingers, with the Spaniard harbouring a preference for a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

If that is the case, then the Gunners will be electrifying going forward. With Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang operating out wide in support of Alexandre Lacazette and the possibility of Dani Ceballos playing in his preferred number 10 role, a position he excelled in at the U21 Euros, Emery’s side have the means to blow opponents away. 

That said, there are long-standing issues that need rectifying. No team committed more errors leading to an opposition goal than Arsenal (12) in Europe’s top five leagues last season, and the impending exit of Laurent Koscielny threatens to leave the side short at the back. William Saliba has joined from Saint-Etienne, he will spend next season on loan with the Ligue 1 side, and with Shkodran Mustafi still on the books; investment is required. 

That is, of course, unless Emery plans on outscoring opponents, adopting the “you score four goals, we’ll score five” mantra, in which case he has the ideal potential front four, with Pepe the final attacking piece to the puzzle. At such a hefty outlay, Arsenal have taken a risk on Pepe, but the Ivorian’s form for Lille last season saw his stock continuously soar and it meant the Gunners had to spend big to convince Les Dogues to sell. 

The Ivorian winger scored 22 and registered 11 assists in Ligue 1 last season, returns only Kylian Mbappe (33) and Teji Savanier (14) could better, respectively. As one of only three players to register double figures for both goals and assists, it contributed to Pepe’s WhoScored rating of 7.62, that more than enough to make the Ligue 1 team of the season. 

Maximising his wicked left foot, Pepe would adopt the Arjen Robben approach to scoring as he cut inside from the right to go for goal and even though it was easy to read, it was difficult to stop as and when he gained a head of steam. If Emery does elect for a 4-2-3-1 setup, then the prospect of Pepe and Aubameyang cutting inside from right and left flanks, respectively, should be enough to leave Arsenal fans salivating. 

Lacazette’s preference for dropping deeper rather than act as a conventional number nine means the duo can capitalise on the space vacated by the Frenchman to put sides to the sword, which both did for their respective sides with aplomb last term. Indeed, only Aubameyang’s goals were worth more points (19) than Pepe’s (18) in Europe’s top five leagues last season and the duo bearing down on goal is an exciting proposition for Arsenal fans, and a terrifying thought for opponents. 

And it won’t be just goals that Pepe provides either. His 61 key passes from open play was the second highest return in France’s top tier, as was his 16 clear-cut goalscoring chances created. Considering Lille’s second highest goalscorer in Ligue 1 was Jonathan Bamba, with 13, a goal getting outlet of Aubameyang’s stature will benefit immensely from Pepe coming in off the right flank and picking the runs of his new Arsenal teammate to maximise a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'through balls'. 

It’s precisely the morale boosting signing Arsenal needed to make to as they gear up for the new season. A few weeks ago, there was little movement on the Emirates front and supporters were understandably jittery about a lack of investment in a squad that faltered in the league and fell to a 4-1 Europa League final defeat at the hands of Chelsea. 

Fast forward to the present day and there is a renewed optimism about what lies ahead for the coming campaign in north London. Having previously been rank outsiders for a top four finish, Arsenal’s odds have shortened on betting sites in their bid to secure Champions League football and if the front four can click quickly, then the coming season promises to be one to remember for all the right reasons for the club.