In the end, it was all a misunderstanding. Because what Arsenal FC had promised itself four years ago with the very expensive Nicolas Pepé never materialised. Now the Gunners have ended their relationship for good.
In the end, the “love” between Nicolas Pepé and Arsenal FC cooled completely – even though the Londoners had promised so much from the French-Ivorian midfielder in the summer of 2019. At that time, a whopping 80 million euros had migrated from the Gunners to Ligue 1 club Lille, the most expensive new acquisition of the traditional Premier League club to date.
In the meantime, Declan Rice (24, for 117 million euros from West Ham) exceeded this sum – and Pepé was completely sidelined.
Last season, the goal-scoring attacker was initially loaned to Nice, but Arsenal now unceremoniously terminated his contract, which runs until 30 June 2024. The club confirmed this officially on its own channels this Saturday evening. According to media reports, this step had been part of the Londoners’ plans for some time, after all, Pepe, who was sometimes without a shirt number, also received a princely salary in the capital – there was talk of well over 150,000 euros per week.
Trabzonspor as a successful stopover?
In all likelihood, an adventure in Turkey is next on the agenda for the 28-year-old professional.
A one-year contract with the local first division club Trabzonspor has long been negotiated and the medical check has also been completed. However, this transfer of the man on a free transfer only became official later on Saturday – starting with a short clip of the club from the Turkish port city of Trabzon with the outline of his body at X.
Will Pepé get his career back on track there? Only time will tell. For now, at any rate, it remains to be said that the Ivorian international has not worked out in conjunction with the English league. 80 Premier League games, 16 goals, nine assists – that’s the meagre tally in the Premier League. By way of comparison: Before his move to Arsenal, the attacking artist had “indulged” himself with 35 goals and 16 assists in 74 Ligue 1 games for Lille – last season for Nice it was eight goals and one assist in 28 games.
