Nicolas Pepe is failing to live up to his price tag at Arsenal, according to the club's former forward Jeremie Aliadiere.
Ivorian forward Pepe arrived at the Emirates in a club-record £72million deal from Lille last summer, although the now departed Gunners boss Unai Emery has insisted that he actually wanted to sign Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha instead.
And Aliadiere says that the fee means Gunners fans should have expected more from the 24-year-old than what they've seen thus far.
“I saw what he did with Lille last season and he is an amazing player. So, I’m not denying his talent," Aliadiere told Goal.com.
“What I’m seeing, though, is the most expensive player in Arsenal ’s history and even if you don’t want to think about the money, the fact is that money is, unfortunately, a big thing in football.
“And when you spend that much money on a player, you expect more goals and you expect more assists.”
Aliadiere went on to claim that Pepe's lack of decisiveness is what is letting him down.
“Now, obviously it is not easy, as I know having been there, but the thing that has disappointed me a tiny bit is his decision-making during games," he added.
“For a player who cost £72m, it’s the simple parts of the game that sometimes I see him lacking. And that's what I pick on a bit.
“Yes, he goes on a good dribble and goes through two or three players – that’s amazing.
"But when you have [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang on your left and all you have to do is pass the ball in the right spot, and instead cut it back at the wrong time, that bothers me. And I’ve seen that quite a lot from him this season."
