Nicolas Pepe has suggested that Arsenal might have integrated him more effectively if he had cost the club less money.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Arsenal at The King Power Stadium on February 28, 2021 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
Nicolas Pepe is currently a free agent, less than 12 months after leaving Arsenal to join Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor on a one-season deal.
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Reflecting on his time with Arsenal, Pepe tells BBC Sport that he believes he would have been utilised differently if he hadn’t cost so much money.
“The price is not the players’ fault, they don’t ask for 100 million or 90 million,” Pepe said. “If Arsenal bought me for 20 million maybe it’d be different.
“Maybe they’d have spend more time on me, built up my confidence and prepared me for playing in the Premier League. But the price tag obliged them to use me, whether I was ready or not. That’s what I find annoying.”
Nicolas Pepe with Ivory Coast (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)
The quotes follow a recent interview Pepe held with French outlet L’Equipe, where he suggested his treatment from the general public – Arsenal fans excluded – was tantamount to harrassment.
“It was almost harassment,” Pepe said. “I don’t pay attention to social media much but my brother would say to me ‘they said that about you’. Subconsciously, it affected me.
“It also came from the media or some members of the club. They don’t realise that it can play on the mind, on your family and that it has repercussions on performances.
“The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal supporters.”
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal reacts during the Carabao Cup Second Round between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on August 25, 2021. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Pepe then joined Trabzonspor in September 2023, but he’s now a free agent again.
Fabrizio Romano reported in May that the winger had chosen to run down his deal with the club, with offers on the table from the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. At that point, the suggestion was that Pepe wanted to remain in Europe.
The winger scored five goals and assisted two in 20 appearances for Trabzonspor, with a couple of injuries limiting his minutes.
Pepe’s primary absence during 2023/24 was for the Africa Cup of Nations, as he missed 10 club games for the tournament.
With the Ivory Coast, Pepe played five times, starting twice and providing one assist. He also scored in the round-of-16 penalty shootout.
