Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe is reportedly open to a January exit because of the lack of game time at Emirates this season.
According to a report from Football London, the 26-year-old Ivorian international is frustrated with the lack of regular first-team action and he will look to move on if there is a suitable offer on the table next month.
The player publicly admitted his frustration towards the end of last season as well.
“My aim is to play more, to have more game time,” he said (via Football London).
“A player who plays is a happy player. For me, I want to rediscover my smile. Mikel Arteta wants me to be 100% focused for the 90 minutes of the game. Then I see during training that I will be a substitute the following weekend.
“It’s frustrating for any player to be on the bench. The role of a super-sub? The coach makes his choices. It’s up to me to show him so that I don’t have this role.”
The report further states that the winger is considered an expendable asset by manager Mikel Arteta and the Gunners are open to entertaining offers for him next month.
The 26-year-old winger arrived for a club-record fee of around £72.5 million back in 2019 but he has struggled to hit top form at the London club so far. Pepe joined on the back of a 23-goal season with Lille but he has scored just 25 goals in 98 appearances with the Gunners so far.
Pepe has just one goal for Arsenal across all competitions so far this season and it is evident that he is struggling to adapt to the Premier League.
Cashing in on the Ivorian if a good offer is on the table would be a wise move for the Gunners and it would allow them to reinvest into the squad during the January transfer window.
Arsenal are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggling to hit top form as well.
Meanwhile, the Ivorian winger is on considerable wages at Arsenal and it seems highly unlikely that the Gunners will be able to find a permanent suitor for his services next month and perhaps a loan deal would be more realistic at this stage of the season.
Either way, Pepe needs to play regularly in order to regain his confidence and if Arsenal cannot provide him with the opportunity, a January move would be the best option for all parties.
Going out on a loan deal and succeeding at another club would preserve his value as well.
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