PEPE LOVE
Big fan Freddie has faith in flop Nicolas
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG will have a heart-to-heart chat with Arsenal’s record signing Nicolas Pepe over his struggle to adjust to the Premier League.
The Gunners paid Lille £72m for the 24-year-old winger in the summer.
But the Ivory Coast star has been inconsistent and has not started any of Arsenal’s last four games.
He was on the bench for Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Norwich, Ljungberg’s first game as interim boss.
The Swede said: “Nicolas is someone I plan on talking to. We’re going to have a little chat about how he feels about things. He’s an important player.
“I just think it’s a new country, a new way of playing and I’m going to have a little chat with him about what I expect and how I want to play.
“Nicolas is a very, very good player. Sometimes we come from a different league and it takes time to adapt, off the pitch and on the pitch.”
Pepe could well be among the substitutes again as Ljungberg takes charge at the Emirates for the first time tonight against Brighton.
The Gunners have failed to win any of their last eight games and have not recorded a clean sheet in two months.
Ljungberg added: “That’s going to be an ongoing theme, working on defending for a long time. That’s one thing we need to fix ASAP.”
Brighton boss Graham Potter says beating Arsenal tonight would mean more than when he guided Ostersunds to a shock 2-1 victory at the Emirates.
He said: “There were 5,000 people from Jamtland there and when we first went to the club there were only 500 – if we were lucky – in our home stadium, let alone away.
“But this would be bigger for me because I’m here now and that’s what matters. Those memories are nice but now is the important time.”