Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has rushed to support Arsenal new boy Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian joined the Gunners in a club-record £72m deal this summer but has failed to deliver the expected output.
Pepe scored 22 goals and dished out 11 assists in the Ligue 1 for Lille last season. However, the 22-year-old has managed to score only once and make two assists in their first eight games in the Premier League.
“I have got nothing but faith in him, I’ve got confidence that he will produce the same thing that he did before because we both play for Ivory Coast and I’ve seen the talent he’s got, but not everyone sees it,” the Crystal Palace winger told BBC Africa.
“I see the social media, I see everything and it’s a thing where he needs time. He’s come from another league, he’s young.”
“There’s this price tag that he has not put on himself, people have put that on him because of his performances, so you’ve got to give him time for him to reproduce that, it’s not going to come like that.”
Currently away on international duty for Ivory Coast, Pepe is expected to turn out for Arsenal when they face Sheffield United on October 21.
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