Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says the Gunners malaise is hindering club record signing Nicolas Pepe.

The winger, who signed for £72million from Lille in the summer, has endured a slow start to life at The Emirates and is yet to find the back of the net from open play in an Arsenal shirt.

He has, however, scored two stunning free-kicks to rescue the Gunners in the Europa League.

While fans are desperate to see more from the 24-year-old, Henry says the fault does not lie with Pepe but the entire underperforming side.

“People like to highlight the player but if the team were playing a bit better, maybe he would be playing a bit better,” he said.

Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 27 show all Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



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Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



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Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



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Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



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Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“At the minute, it’s not a Pepe thing, it’s an Arsenal thing. Hopefully he and the team can get better so we can get in the top four again.”

As is the case with many a new import into the Premier League, Pepe is taking time to find his feet in English football.

Henry himself made the transition from Ligue 1, via Serie A, to the top flight in England when he joined Arsenal from Juventus and took time to settle himself, dropped for a run of seven games after his first four League starts for the club.

“People need to forget about the price tag,” Henry told Yahoo Sports. “He didn’t ask to be bought for that amount of money himself.

“It’s not always easy to arrive in a team, adapt to a new style of play. The Premier League, as we know, is not the same as the French league - or any other league, by the way - so he needs to adapt to that. We need to give him time.

“When you arrive like that, you’re always going to be talked about, and people are always going to target you.

“He needs to make sure he doesn’t listen to that and go out and perform.”