Arsenal’s former record signing Nicolas Pepe has admitted that his ill-fated spell at the Gunners was doomed after three months due to his ‘tense’ relationship with Mikel Arteta.
Pepe caught the eye of several top clubs in Europe after a prolific season in France with Lille which saw him notch up 22 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1.
With several clubs interested in the Ivorian, it was Arsenal who secured his signature, bringing the winger to the Emirates for a then club-record fee of £72 million in 2019.
Pepe made an encouraging start under Unai Emery, registering an assist in the North London Derby before scoring two superb free-kicks to rescue a 3-2 win against Vitoria Guimaraes in the Europa League.
‘He told me exactly what he was looking for, everything he would expect from me if I joined Arsenal,’ Pepe said in an interview with The Athletic as he explained how Emery convinced him to join Arsenal.
‘He spoke about tactics, what he wanted from me, where he was going to play me, how I could expect to improve under him. Loads of detail. And although he’s not a great French speaker, he spoke to me in French for a whole hour.
‘It was a small thing, but it impressed me. I felt his desire to work with me. That’s why I signed. It wasn’t the club, it was the coach. When someone wants you like that, you go.’
However, just three months after being convinced to join Arsenal by Emery, the Spaniard was sacked and replaced by Mikel Arteta.
And while Pepe scored in Arteta’s first win as manager and hit doubles figures in the league in his second season, he ultimately fell out of favour with his new boss.
Failing to suit Arteta’s tactics, the winger started just five league games in his third season before being loaned out to Nice for the following campaign.
Arriving back at Arsenal in the summer of 2023, Pepe’s contract was soon terminated to allow him to join Turkish side Trabzonspor on a free transfer.
Reflecting on his downturn in form under Arteta, Pepe suggested that the the pair’s relationship quickly turned sour as he became frustrated by his lack of minutes.
‘With Arteta, it wasn’t… well, it was good at the start,’ the 29-year-old joked.
‘After that, the confidence wasn’t really there. I got less and less game time, so there was some frustration.
‘I’m not someone who likes being on the bench every week without justification or explanation. So yeah, that’s something that created some tension.’
Pepe ended his Arsenal career with 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances and insists he has ‘good memories’ from the Emirates.
But he added that his record transfer, which has since been surpassed by Declan Rice, was a burden and lead to overly harsh criticism, especially from fans.
‘It was severe and unjust. I saw a lot of nasty comments. When you see what people think of you, it affects you and your family, whether you like it or not.
‘I was young; it was the first time I had left France to play abroad. I had to adapt in lots of ways, but people don’t see that. They only see what happens on the pitch.
‘Automatically, the first player to be criticised is the one that cost a lot of money. You have to be getting goals and assists, goals and assists.
‘People expected 30, 35, 40 goals a season. But it was only [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it.’
This article was first published on November 25
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