Arsenal's club-record signing Nicolas Pepe has acknowledged he's not satisfied with his limited role under manager Mikel Arteta.
"My goal is to play more. To have a little more playing time," Pepe told French channel Canal Plus, as translated by Sky Sports. "A player who plays is happy. For me, I would like to play a little more to find a smile again.
"He (Arteta) wants me to be 100% focused during the 90 minutes of the match. Afterward, I see during training that I will be a substitute the following weekend.
"But the coach speaks to me, he also has assistants who are there for that. But it is frustrating for any player to be on the bench."
Pepe has been one of Arsenal's top players in the Europa League with two goals and two assists through three games.
But the Ivorian winger, who arrived at Arsenal from Lille for £72 million in 2019, has only managed to start just one of the team's eight Premier League matches this season.
Pepe's lone tally in the Premier League was on Oct. 4 when he came off the bench to score the winner in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Sheffield United.
The 25-year-old struggled to live up to the hype after his record-breaking transfer and finished his first season in north London with eight goals and 11 assists.