Nicolas Pepe left Arsenal as a free agent earlier this summer before joining Turkish clubs Trabzonspor, and Mikel Arteta has praised him.
Nicolas Pepe failed to live up to the expectations after his big-money £72 million move to Arsenal, but Mikel Arteta has now heaped praise on the 28-year-old following his departure.
The Arsenal manager labelled Pepe as a phenomenal boy and that he was not to blame for the failure of the transfer. Arteta also added that it was not the player’s fault that the Gunners decided to pay a substantial amount of money for him and it was the right time for both parties to move on.
As quoted by football.london, he said, “I wasn’t involved in the process of that deal. What I can say about him as a person is he’s a phenomenal boy. It’s not his fault the amount of money we paid. When things are not working you have to move on. It’s no point trying when it’s not working.”
Pepe was highly rated during his time at Lille, and he was expected to develop into one of the best wingers in Europe. However, the transfer to the Premier League did not work out, and he spent the last season on loan at OGC Nice.
🔴🔵 Nicolas Pépé has arrived in Turkey for Trabzonspor! Great moment as he chants with the fans. pic.twitter.com/o8l9q0poEE
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 10, 2023
The 28-year-old has now joined Trabzonspor in Turkey as a free agent, and he will look to get his career back on track with regular football. The 28-year-old showed his quality in Ligue 1 last season, and he is certainly good enough to be a key player for Trabzonspor this season.
Moving to Turkey will allow him to regain his form and confidence with regular football. Furthermore, he is good enough to terrorise the Turkish Superlig defences with his pace, power and technical ability.
The Ivorian will certainly be disappointed to have failed to make his mark at a big club like Arsenal. But he has plenty of time to get his career back on track and when meaningful trophies in the coming seasons.
Also Read: Arsenal Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023
As for Arsenal, they had to cut their losses on the £72 million flop, and the Gunners should now look to bring in a quality winger in the coming months. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have been overworked since last season, and Arsenal need more depth in that department.
