Ex-Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe says he has “no regrets” but thinks Gunners’ fans expected too much from him.
Nicolas Pepe reflects on Arsenal era without regrets
Nicolas Pepe has been honest about his time at Arsenal, he made it clear he has no regrets over his four years spent in North London.
The Ivorian winger joined from Lille for £72m. That arguably made him one of the most talked about transfers in the PL at that time. Although, that was plenty of pressure on him, his output on-field didn’t match the hype. Scoring only 27 times in 112 games, Pepe was all too often trolled by fans and pundits alike.
In an interview with BBC Sport before a pre-season game with Villarreal, he seems quite relaxed. “I’ve given all of myself,” he said. He added that the hype around him was “too much for any player to take.”
Supporters judged the price, not the player
Pepe believes much of the disappointment surrounding his Arsenal spell was tied to his price tag. As per the former Lille man, if he had been signed for £20m , things would have been very different. He didn’t hold back in saying he failed at times. But, he feels as though the fans were too quick to judge him on his transfer fee . He has had a new start in La Liga with Villarreal. He moved from Arsenal to Turkish side Trabzonspor in 2023 and then to Spain.
The winger was back for a friendly at the Emirates. Pepe is ready to close it with positivity. He clearly says he’s proud of what he had achieved. He still insists he will leave with his head up high.
People may have wanted more from him. But, he thinks he “was given everything while in a very high-pressured environment.”
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