Arsenal transfer rumours: Arteta eyes £25m Nicolas Pepe sale

Transfer season can get quite silly at times. Reports emerge with all sorts of baseless statements that have the sole purpose of stirring up dialogue. It happens all the time at Arsenal, and it almost always works.

Plenty of reports have been floating around lately linking Arsenal with some wide forwards. The main one at present is regarding Juventus’ Dejan Kulusevski, who is looking increasingly likely to leave the Serie A side in the coming windows.

Reports from Italy keep ramping up and fees between €30m-€40m have been mentioned. Mikel Arteta has also ‘advocated’ the purchase, while it’s even been stated that the Swede is ‘destined’ to join.

Other links have seen Noa Lang receive similar treatment. There are claims that a bid is being readied by the Gunners who want to add the Dutchman to their ranks, and the age profiles of both players fit the recruitment strategy in place at Arsenal.

Transfer rumours: Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are willing to sell Nicolas Pepe for £25m with eyes on Dejan Kulusevski and Noa Lang in coming windows

For that reason alone there may well be some basis to the rumours.

In the case of either, were moves to be pushed through then it would signal the end of a certain Nicolas Pepe at the club. The Ivorian is already no longer a regular fixture in the side with Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe occupying the wide berths, and Pepe’s usage off the bench is also fleeting at best.

With the hectic winter schedule approaching ahead of the 26-year-old jetting off to AFCON with Ivory Coast there will be multiple matches where his services will be called upon. Nonetheless, he isn’t banging on the door for a starting berth and his future looks bleak in north London.

The latest surrounding his future claims that Arsenal are willing to sell him for a measly £25m. The Daily Mail run with this headline, citing football.london as the source, yet nowhere in either report is this actually stated.

It’s mentioned in the latter (which is an opinion piece) that the links to other forwards could be an indicator of Mikel Arteta eyeing life after Pepe, which makes complete sense, but the notion of being open to moving him on for £25m doesn’t exist anywhere. It’s been plucked out of thin air.

Does that mean it isn’t true? It’s total speculation but as far as the odd one out in the squad, Pepe does not slot into this group as seamlessly as others. Some players don’t fit at certain club and while there has been hopeful spells for the Ivorian, like his gradual improvement over 2021, he remains an expendable player.

But while the £25m claims are without basis, were an offer of that amount to be made to Arsenal, should they accept?

Continued on next page…

Arsenal Would be Foolish to Turn Down £25m Offer for Nicolas Pepe

Quite a few will be bringing out the ‘I’d drive him to the airport myself’ line right about now.

Because yes, while he cost £72m and is the club’s record signing, if £25m were offered to Arsenal they would have to take it. It’d constitute a huge loss, and obviously more is wanted, but it would hopefully be the end of such transfer market failings as is being witnessed with the smart purchases made at the club over the past three windows.

Arsenal still haven’t paid Lille the full amount and moving Pepe on for £25m would probably just about cover what is left of the payments. Still, there will never be a moment where the amount parted with will ever be made back in performances and goals, so it’s an offer they’d have to take.

Whether they’d receive it or not is another matter entirely.

What is certain is that there will be a market for the Ivorian. Financially there will be some differences between clubs, but transition teams who like their forwards to have plenty of grass to run into will look at his record in a Lille team that played with such a style and see real potential.

In Arsenal’s possession oriented style he isn’t suited, and there are a host of clubs who could use Pepe in a way that would unlock his undisputed talent. While it may not be on show too often at Arsenal, the forward has bags of ability and could quite easily be getting closer to his 2018/19 numbers in the right environment and division.

With that all-important two-year period approaching on his contract at the end of the season, if he continues to play a peripheral role in the team then it will not only be Arteta looking for a change. A player in his supposed prime will feel wasted sitting on the Arsenal bench. Why would Pepe even want to stay?

In any case, whatever the outcome, Arsenal will make a fairly substantial loss on Pepe.