Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe after his performance against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday which left Virgil van Dijk facing rare problems.
After the £72m recruit from Lille had stepped off the bench in the Gunners’ opening two Premier League matches, the Ivory Coast international was handed his maiden Gunners start, partnering Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front.
Though the Gunners fell to their first defeat of the campaign, losing 3-1, Pepe showed signs of promise, as the electric forward was a menace throughout.
Showcasing his ability to cut inside off his left foot, he showed a good turn of speed and successfully completed a dribble beyond Liverpool defender van Dijk, becoming the first player to do such a thing in 50 Premier League games.
And his performance against Liverpool certainly caught the eye of former Reds midfielder Redknapp, who revealed that he believes he is a promising addition for the Londoners.
"In Pepe they’ve probably had the best player on the pitch. I’ve seen Arsenal come here (to Anfield) in the last few years and they haven’t done anything at all," he told Sky Sports.
“But they have got a special talent in Pepe - I’ve been so impressed with him. He’s always looking to run on the shoulder, he’s causing mayhem.
“When they started to be a bit more direct, that’s when they started to cause problems. You can see the ‘keeper doesn’t know what to do, Virgil van Dijk has problems all game. I don’t think it’s necessarily because he’s not playing well, I just think it’s more because of Pepe.”
