Recruited in the summer of 2019 by Arsenal for 80 million euros, Ivorian striker Nicolas Pépé was expected as the messiah by supporters of the Gunners. Unfortunately, the love story turned sour for the former Angers Sco and Losc player. Now at Villarreal, the 29-year-old spoke to The Athletic on this passage to London.
“When a club pays you that much, the little details no longer matterhe explains. I was young, it was the first time that I left France to play abroad. Automatically, the first player to be criticized is the one who is expensive. You have to score goals and make assists. People expected 30, 35, 40 goals per season. But it was only Messi and Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price. »
“I don’t like being on the bench”
However, the romance had started rather well for the Ivorian international under the direction of Unai Emery. “That’s what I signed for. It wasn’t the club, it was the coach. » But the Spanish technician was sacked two and a half months after the start of the season to be replaced by Mikel Arteta. Despite everything, Pépé had two good first seasons with Arsenal (5 goals in 2019-20 then 10 goals in 2020-21). But his relationship with the current coach of Gunners was then detrimental to him. “I had less and less playing time, so there was a certain frustration. I’m not someone who likes to be on the bench every week without justification or explanation. So yes, it was something that created some tension. »
READ ALSO. “I didn’t imagine him as a coach”: the eye of Luis Fernandez who launched Mikel Arteta
Today, the 29-year-old striker seems to see the end of the tunnel again under the colors of Villarreal (1 goal in 11 games) after spending time with OGC Nice and Trabzonspor.
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