Nicolas Pépé: is this finally the revival?
Nicolas Pépé shone for Villarreal. The Villarreal winger scored 1 goal and provided two assists this weekend.
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Could this be the revival of Nicolas Pépé? The Ivorian winger scored this weekend in Villarreal's 4-2 win over Osasuna. The former Lille man also provided two assists. It was a standout display, and it is inevitably being seen as the return of the player who has attracted the interest of plenty of clubs since the start of his career.
Thanks to this masterclass, Nicolas Pépé now has 2 goals and 5 assists in 23 appearances. It was a release for him, as he had not made a decisive contribution in the last 11 matches he played in.
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With Nicolas Pépé on fire, Villarreal are 5th in La Liga with 58 points, just three points behind Bilbao, who occupy 4th place.
Getting back to the top
On a personal level, the 29-year-old could use this game as a springboard to move forward again. Last season, Nicolas Pépé struggled to find consistency at Trabzonspor, where he played only 19 games (5 goals, 2 assists). The year before, he was loaned to Nice, where he had a mixed return of 8 goals in 28 games.
Ivory Coast can also be pleased about the return to form of Nicolas Pépé. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is fast approaching, and the Elephants will want to hold on to the title they won last year. However, the former Arsenal winger will need to perform consistently, as he has scored only one goal in his last 13 caps.