Sky pundit thinks Mikel Arteta is frustrated with 25-year-old Arsenal ace and may drop him

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Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith thinks Mikel Arteta may be losing patience with Nicolas Pepe’s tendency to “switch off” after losing the ball.

The 25-year-old joined Arsenal in the summer of 2019 in a club-record £72million move, penning a five-year deal with the Gunners reportedly worth £140,000-a-week.

Pepe’s first season saw him deliver moments of brilliance and some great individual performances, but he wasn’t able to put in consistently great displays week in, week out.

Likewise, he struggled in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, but he has been doing well in recent weeks and seems to be enjoying his best run of form for the North Londoners.

Despite his improved form, Smith feels that Arteta will be growing frustrated with the winger’s lack of defensive nous, something which risks costing him his place in the starting XI.

“He has been better,” Smith told the Sky Sports podcast. “With his attitude and work ethic at times and he’s produced some moments of quality going forward.

“The thing I worry about him is he does tend to switch off when he loses the ball and when the team loses it and that will frustrate Arteta watching from the sidelines.

“Sometimes he makes a little token run but I just don’t feel his heart is in it. If that’s the case the manager will have noted that, he’ll have seen it, and that colours your opinion of a player.

“He’s got talent, there’s no doubt about it, but I don’t think he’s got £70million worth of talent – that’s not his fault, it’s a bad piece of negotiating on Arsenal’s part.

“If they can get something out of him great, but it might be as the weeks go on he’s more of an impact substitute.”

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Pepe has been doing well in recent weeks – even against Wolves and Villa, games that Arsenal lost, he put in good displays, so you’d think he’d be safe in the starting XI.

That said, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is his competition on the left wing, so if Arteta isn’t convinced by Pepe due to his apparent switching off, then he could switch him with another great player.