Arsenal ready to terminate star’s contract despite hefty transfer investment

Posted by

Arsenal could reportedly be ready to terminate Nicolas Pepe’s contract this summer if clubs don’t come in for him in the transfer market.

The Ivory Coast international will be returning to the Emirates Stadium after a loan spell at Nice, but it seems unlikely that he has any future in Mikel Arteta’s first-team.

According to football.london, this means Arsenal could even be willing to rip up Pepe’s contract and let him leave on a free, despite previously investing a club-record fee to sign him from Lille.

Pepe cost the Gunners £72m back in 2019, according to BBC Sport‘s report at the time, and it’s fair to say this will surely go down as one of the worst signings of recent history in the Premier League.

Nicolas Pepe in action for Arsenal

Pepe showed flashes of some quality in his time in north London, but nowhere near enough to justify that kind of transfer fee, and it seems right to try to offload him this summer.

The 27-year-old hasn’t done much of note whilst being on loan at Nice either, so it remains to be seen if there’ll be many clubs ready to pay up for him, meaning this contract termination could end up being the most realistic option.

More Stories Nicolas Pepe

19 Comments

  1. I feel sorry for Pepe because he should be played as a striker rather than a winger. The reason for this is that he is an instinctive player who can take a last defender on and score a goal. What let’s him down is his team play. So put him up front on his own and he will get you goals. He is simular to Forlan but you wouldn’t play Forlan on the wing because he would be rubish in that position, likewise Pepe.

    1. Uhm… He played as a winger before he was bought by Arsenal, with great success. He never played as a striker back then.

      1. Exactly brother… He was bought as a winger, all I see is a lazy player that’s not ready to work hard to earn his place. It’s not free.

      1. In case he fails his role then he can be taught a new role. It’s like having a child who used to perform well and if he brings a report showing that he has failed .won’t you give him tuition next term so Arteta shouldn’t chance him like that Pepe is still young he can prove.

    2. Even as a winger, you can play like a striker on the pitch, it depends on your style of play, he’s a lazy player in sorry and he’s not working very hard. He’s playing same position where he came from.

  2. You’re very correct !

    Arsenal saw him as a winger and bought him to fix Arsenal’s wing problem but he’s inconsistency cost him his place in Arsenal team.

  3. Pepe has a strong highlights under unai emery
    But artete is not patient enough to get best out of pepe am blaming the coach for his inconsistency comparing him with Antonio of man united he has played well more than him still ten hag is still giving him chance to get it right bcuz he is the one that signed him, so artete is let him go bcuz he didn’t like him

    1. You are correct. Arsenal might have flourished and ending the season at second position but the truth is Arteta is not the manager to send the team to its past glorious days. His man management is not the best. He did not handle the Orzil issue well, he did badly with Aubameyang and truth is some current players are not happy and may want to leave.

      1. Arteta and Ozil are somehow mates and it’s hard for coaches to be able to control their mates playing under them especially the ones who are big or egoistic. And to be frank! Ozil had problem with the board not the coach, so he was forced to drop him

  4. Arsenal and Nice can’t both be wrong on him. We’ve seen this quite often throughout football history – a player who doesn’t bring the required ingredients to the table no matter the position you play him in. Force the horse to the stream you nay, but you can’t force water through its throat

    1. This is the comment I’ve been looking for all to this long. You literally mentioned everything in a nutshell. Cheers 🥂

  5. Arteta does not have good managerial skill at all.

    Andu Adeniyi AbdulAzeez

  6. Arsenal will not do well next season I am very sure of that. At very most top 4th position in 2024. Because Arteta has got limited football knowledge, poor management and little winning mentality of how to win games. Too arrogant a person.

  7. Pepe honestly didn’t bring good spice to the team. He was so inconsistent, a winger should not.
    To me, we don’t need him here for any reason. Unless he wants some real long time on bench

  8. MA is not the great tactician but a visionary. Look at our stats. Only because we didn’t win the league, he’s now a bad manager. Again refer to the signings we made, check our stats. Had we won the league, every clown that is degrading him now ,will be calling him the best. I’m appalled. Even Chelsea supporters are loyal to their team [Ownership, Management, Coaching staff and their players] of clowns. I’m glad MA is never influenced by personalities and actually remains true to his philosophy

    1. For what we have seen so far,Arteta will not do well except the club is ready to spend big on big and experienced players. He’s not tactically sound and he can’t make a player better in time of believe and grooming. He’s a good coach in progress, i just hopee won’t turn out like his tutor Pep.

Comments are closed