Monday 17 February 2020 12:57, UK
Alexandre Lacazette says Nicolas Pepe is starting to show exactly why Arsenal broke their club record to sign the Ivory Coast winger from Lille last summer.
Pepe, who cost the Gunners a record-breaking £72m, produced a stellar performance to help his team beat Newcastle 4-0 on Super Sunday.
The 24-year-old set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the opener, added his fourth goal of the season three minutes later and produced his second assist of the afternoon to set up Lacazette for Arsenal's final goal in injury-time.
Pepe's influential display helped extend the Gunners' unbeaten run to six matches and was further evidence that the winger is finally adjusting to life in the Premier League.
"I used to say we need to be patient with him," said Lacazette. "He is still young, he came from another league and it is always different.
"The Premier League is the hardest league in the world I think, so you have to be nice with new players like him."
Lacazette ended a barren run with his first goal in nine top-flight matches against Newcastle and knows how important confidence is to a striker.
"He [Mikel Arteta] talked with me to give me confidence," he said. "As well I worked more with the second coach, so there is some stuff we do to be better on this occasion."
The growing confidence shown by team-mate Pepe is a sign of even better things to come.
"He is someone who needs confidence and when you give him confidence he is better," added Lacazette.
"He just needs time to understand how the league is and now we can see a really good Nicolas Pepe."
