It’s done! As per the recent reports, Arsenal have officially signed Nicolas Pepe from Ligue 1 outfit Lille on a five year deal. The Gunners splashed a club record £72m to land the Ivory Coast international, who was influential for Lille in the last term, attracting attention from a number of clubs from all around Europe. The 24 year old player is known to be a versatile one but has been more impactful as a right winger. Arsenal, who have been lacking a quality winger on the right hand side would be utilizing him in that position in the next term.
The Story Of Arsenal And This Latest Signing; Can He Make A Major Impact?
The situation was so dire for the Gunners and their manager Unai Emery that the Spaniard had to implement Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is an out-and-out centre-forward as the right winger on a number of occasions throughout the last term.
Pepe has been one of the top talents in Europe in the recent time. He scored 23 goals for Lille in the last term and also dished out 12 assists to show for his efforts. His move to Arsenal, who fought off interest from Italian giants Napoli to land him this summer, makes him the most expensive African footballer of all time, as he follows in the footsteps of legendary African players like Nwanko Kanu and Kolo Toure.
The 24-year-old winger arrived recently in London after his holiday in Miami, USA. That was for his medical and passed it successfully. It meant that the deal was more-or-less done. He posed with the shirt of his new club and also put pen on paper to complete his much anticipated move to the North London outfit.
What Next For The Gunners With Regards To The Upcoming Season?
As per the reports, Arsenal will play only £20m of the total £72m this summer. The rest will be paid in installments in the next five years. Pepe, in the meantime, will earn in excess of £100,000-a-week. The player looked delighted as he spoke on the club website about the move. He said, “Being here is very emotional because it has not been easy for me. I have come a long way and struggled a lot and so signing for this great club is a big reward.”
He further went on to talk about why he chose the Gunners. He added that, “It was my family and my agents [who encouraged me to make the move]. We talked and thought a lot about it. It was at the time of the CAN [Africa Cup of Nations] as well, we thought a lot during, before and after the CAN. It was important to make the right decision and I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice.”
Pepe becomes the fourth signing of the season for the Gunners. They have already brought in players like Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and also Dani Ceballos. The latter joined from Real Madrid on a season long loan.
As per the recent reports that have been coming in, the North London club are set to offload a few players. These include the likes of defender Shkodran Mustafi, who was a complete flop in the last term. Captain Laurent Koscielny has also left the Emirates already. That was, after he turned out to be a rebel and skipped the pre-season tour.
The club now needs to find viable replacements. It will be interesting to see how things go from here on now. They have sold some of their unwanted players. The club does have the funds to bring in new stars now. Deadline day is upon us. Let’s see what happens next.
