It was 57 minutes into the 1-0 win over Bournemouth when an Arsenal fan in full kit hurdled the advertising hoardings and sauntered merrily onto the pitch. He jogged over to Nicolas Pepe, and bowed low in front of the Ivorian before shaking him by the hand.



It was a display of the high regard in which the Emirates crowd hold their record signing



At least, for now.



Such relationships are fragile in football. One wonders just how perception of Pepe might suffer if the he continues to underperform.



Just six minutes later, Pepe was shaking another hand — that of his manager Unai Emery, having been unceremoniously substituted. With the game delicately poised at 1-0, Emery opted to withdraw the £72 million summer signing in favour of 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli. With Bukayo Saka playing on the opposite flank, the switch suggested the coach was more comfortable seeing out the match with a pair of teenagers than the most expensive footballer...