Steve Nicol doesn’t believe Nicolas Pepe is good enough for Liverpool

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Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has told ESPN that Nicolas Pepe is not good enough to play for the club after being linked with a summer move.

The Lille winger has been touted for a £72 million switch to Anfield by L’Equipe after an astonishing season in Ligue 1.

An Ivory Coast international, Pepe has netted 23 goals and registered 12 assists from a wide position during 2018/19.

Nicol played 343 games for Liverpool, scoring 37 goals and he doesn’t think the club should be going after Pepe this summer.

He told ESPN: “I really don’t get this one. Yes, he’s had a good season but he doesn’t look like a Liverpool player to me.

“He’s a little unorthodox, he looks gangly. He has got it done, the stats bear that out. Unfortunately, it’s Ligue 1 and I’m not a huge fan of Ligue 1, I don’t think the standard is particularly great.

“I just don’t think he fits in with Liverpool.”

TBR Verdict

Nicol is not really known to sit on the fence when it comes to offering his opinion.

He could have a point regarding Pepe, however.

His goals and assists statistics are impressive, but as Nicol correctly suggests, he has been playing in France.

Ligue 1 is not really a great barometer for determining how well a player will cope with the demands of the Premier League.

Pepe is only 24 and there is a lot of potential in there. At £72 million, however, can Liverpool justify such a sum on a player unproven on these shores.