Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Nicolas Pepe following Man City's Champions League victory over Villarreal. City earned a 2-0 win over the Spanish side on Tuesday night as goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva earned three points in the League Phase.
In a contest that saw ex-Tottenham starlet Juan Foyth, former Arsenal man Thomas Partey and Newcastle old boy Ayoze Perez in action for the hosts, it was the performance of Pepe that attracted special praise from City boss.
Nicolas Pepe a 'Dangerous Player'
Nicolas Pepe
While Pepe was on the losing side in Tuesday's Champions League clash, he attracted plenty of plaudits from Guardiola, who revealed what Man City decided to do to contain him. Speaking about Pepe, Guardiola said: "Ah, he’s really good.
"It was a long time ago when he was playing at Arsenal and I’m happy that he’s playing here [at Villarreal]. I’m pretty sure when Arsenal paid the amount of money they paid, it’s because he’s a really good player, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened."
"He’s a dangerous player in the final third, one-vs-one. Jeremy [Doku] and Bernardo defended against him really well," he continued. Guardiola's praise will do wonders to rewrite the narrative around Pepe following a less-than-impressive time with Arsenal.
Having emerged as a top European talent with Lille, the Gunners forked out a staggering £72million to sign the player in the summer of 2019. It was a significant investment in a player whom they believed was destined for stardom.
Unfortunately, his performances didn't live up to expectations. Pepe made 112 appearances for the north London side, scoring 27 goals and providing 21 assists in three seasons with the club.
Regarded as a flop, Pepe joined Nice on a season-long loan deal in 2022 before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 in a bid to rebuild his career. After one season in Turkey, the winger joined Villarreal on a free transfer in 2024 and has shown glimpses of the quality that Arsenal invested in.
Since moving to Spain, Pepe has scored five and provided eight assists in 40 games. This includes two goals and two assists in just nine games so far this season. While the Ivorian may now be 30, his performances for the La Liga giants show that Arsenal were right to have spotted something in him six years ago, even if he did fail to showcase his qualities on a regular basis in the Premier League.