Chesterfield: Luton Town might have helped Paul Cook add new dimension | OneFootball

Following an injury to Will Grigg, Paul Cook has signed Luton Town's Aribim Pepple on-loan, who can add a new dimension to Chesterfield's frontline.

Since the departure of Joe Quigley last summer, Chesterfield have not had a real 'physical presence' going forward, relying on the clever movement of the likes of Will Grigg and Paddy Madden, rather than the pace and brute force of a player like Quigley. Not anymore.

With a long-term injury to Chesterfield’s top scorer, Grigg, which will keep him out for at least a few months, and Madden working his way back to full fitness after an injury-hit campaign, it left Kane Drummond, who had to be recalled from National League Oldham, as Town’s only fit striker.

This forced Paul Cook to dip into the transfer market, and after moves for Michael Mellon and Dipo Akinyemi collapsed, Cook finally got his man, Luton Town striker Aribim Pepple, on loan until the end of the season.

Pepple made his Chesterfield debut in the Spireites’ penalty shootout defeat to Rotherham in midweek, and while he failed to find the back of the net, the 22-year-old was a constant threat throughout the game.

The former Southend man has a history of playing all over the world early into his young career, so Cook will be hoping his new man can hit the ground running in League Two.

Aribim Pepple’s unique career path has seen him ply his trade in four different countries

The striker was born on Christmas Day in Kettering in 2002 but moved to Calgary, Canada with his family at the age of five, where he would sign his first professional contract at Cavalry FC in 2019 in the Canadian Premier League.

Having had trials at both Sheffield United and Leicester City, Pepple would announce on social media he had left Cavalry and joined the youth team of La Liga club Getafe, where he would score on his debut for the under-19 team.

A year later, he would rejoin his former club Cavalry and, fresh off a year in the Getafe youth system, he would take the Canadian Premier League by storm, becoming the first player in the league’s history to score in five consecutive matches.

Pepple’s impressive form, which saw him score six goals in seven games, helped attract the interest of Luton Town, who signed the striker for an undisclosed fee in 2022 and instantly sent him on loan to League Two Grimsby Town.

This was the first of several unsuccessful loans for Pepple, who failed to find his feet at Grimsby, Bromley and Scottish side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, where he would eventually score his first goal on British soil, almost two years after signing for the Hatters.

Pepple joined National League outfit Southend United on loan last summer, and impressed for Kevin Maher’s men, scoring seven and assisting two in the fifth tier in just 19 games, which already makes this his best scoring season as a professional.

He also won Southend’s Player of the Month awards for both October and November, so his confidence is likely to be sky-high after a difficult few seasons in front of goal.

Now leading the line for Chesterfield, the former Canada under-17 international will be looking to add to that tally, and if his debut was anything to go by, the Kettering-born man certainly looks a handful.

Aribim Pepple’s pace and power can cause a problem for League Two defences

From the 22-year-old’s debut against Rotherham, Chesterfield fans got a glimpse of what he can do, and looked lively throughout, with his pace and power causing a problem for Rotherham duo Zak Jules and Hakeem Odofin, who are both experienced League One defenders.

Pepple was the lone striker for the Spiretes, and at times he was often isolated, but his ability to hold the ball up, a willingness to run in behind, and ability to press made him a nuisance and constant threat.

Despite not finding the back of the net, he was not afraid to get his shots off, indicating the striker’s confidence, and he was met with a standing ovation from the home fans when he was substituted with five minutes to play.

Pepple’s profile and attributes will help add another dimension to Chesterfield’s front line.

The likes of Grigg and Madden would use their clever movement to drop deep and find spaces between the lines, without offering any real threat in behind, but with Pepple, it gives the Spireites the option to knock the ball long, either to his feet, where he can pin defenders with his strength, or in behind.

Town fans saw Pepple execute both tactics on numerous occasions on his debut.

The Luton loanee is still young at 22 years old and is far from the finished article. His two fouls conceded, zero successful dribbles, and just five accurate passes (Sofascore), are all examples of areas of his game he’ll be looking to improve, but under one of the elite coaches in the division in Cook, the former Bromley man will only get better as the season goes on.

Pepple’s game time in the short-term seems nailed on, with Madden and Grigg unavailable, but his physical presence, pace, and power mirror that of Joe Quigley, who made an excellent super sub during his time at the club, and when top-scorer Grigg returns, it could be a role he takes up.

After four straight defeats for Cook’s men, he’ll be hoping the new string to his bow can help inject some life into the Spireites’ attack and help them get back on track in their push for the play-off places.