Wilfried Zaha has backed Nicolas Pepe to come good at the Emirates, and his comments have gone down very well with the Gunners faithful.
Arsenal were linked with Zaha over the summer but couldn’t force a deal over the line with Palace standing firm.
They did manage to secure the services of Pepe, who arrived in a club-record £72 million deal from Lille.
However, the Ivorian’s start to life in England hasn’t been routine. He’s come in for plenty of criticism across the division in recent weeks, scoring once and providing two assists in his 10 appearances so far.
Zaha recently spoke to the BBC regarding Pepe, which was picked up by Arsenal fan page @afcstuff.
The Palace star was quick to praise his fellow countryman and believes that if given the time he needs, he’ll eventually come good at the Emirates.
Twitter: Wilfried Zaha on criticism of Nicolas Pepe: “I see the social media, I see everything & it’s a thing where he needs… https://t.co/tZbToFDKnN (@afcstuff)
Twitter: Zaha on Pepe: “There’s this price tag that he has not put on himself, people have put that on him because of his pe… https://t.co/s4uXVK9Riq (@afcstuff)
Twitter: Zaha on Pepe: “I have got nothing but faith in him, I’ve got confidence that he will produce the same thing that he… https://t.co/PQV8yIaVjT (@afcstuff)
These Arsenal fans replied to the post to praise Zaha, with some suggesting that he’s desperate for a move across London to link up with Pepe.
Twitter: @afcstuff I think Zaha just wants to come to Arsenal. (@the_mukama)
Twitter: @afcstuff If we take wilf in January he’d only help to nurture this precocious talent. It only makes sense @Arsenal (@kodzilla95)
Twitter: @afcstuff i agree, its a new challenge for him, he needs time to adapt, hell be great in the future (@liluzipavel)
Meanhwile, Arsenal fan Jack said:
Zaha definitely wants to move across London, just admit it, Wilf!
Read Arsenal verdict
It’s good to see a fellow Premier League star publicly backing the Arsenal man, and we agree with everything he’s had to say.
Pepe was always going to need time to adjust from Ligue 1 to the Premier League, and it’s just taking a little longer than many, probably including the player himself, first expected.
Zaha has only increased his popularity at the Emirates, and you never know, a move over the next 12 months could materialise, he clearly wants it!
