Mikel Arteta denies sale of Arsenal Ivory attacker Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given a gentle prod to one of Arsenal’s under-performing stars, but flatly rejected that the French-born attacker Nicolas Pepe could be offloaded in January. Arteta has confirmed that his team is not considering selling striker Nicolas Pepe, Arsenal’s record transfer holder, during the upcoming winter transfer window. Mikel Arteta has denied the possibility of the club offloading Nicolas Pepe, which would likely rule out a move for a winger in the January transfer window or next summer.
In response to a question about Pepe's performance compared to the value of his contract, Arteta said: “We’ll see that in the next few seasons if he’s capable of achieving what we expect from him. It’s a difficult answer, not just with him but any player.” 
He added, “The link between performance and material value is very special because it relates to many different aspects”.
Pepe’s participation declined due to the brilliance of Emil Smith and Bukayo Sakaka this season, and media reports spoke of his imminent transfer in January, but Arteta confirmed that his club is not considering selling the player at the present time.