Arsenal are considering offloading Nicolas Pepe in the summer, as he has no place in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the future.
According to Fichajes, Arsenal will likely sell Nicolas Pepe in the summer. If the conditions are right, the 27-year-old underperforming attacker has no place in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the club and may stay at OGC Nice for the foreseeable future.
Nicolas Pepe was supposed to transform the club’s fortunes when Arsenal splashed a record £72 million on the Ivorian in 2019. After a bright start to life, the winger had a good first season, culminating in winning the FA Cup.
While he remained a starter for Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge, the Spaniard slowly phased the 27-year-old underperforming attacker out of his plans. The Arsenal boss wanted a different style from the right wing, with Bukayo Saka, the undisputed starter in the role for the Gunners.
Pepe endured a difficult season in 2021/22, where he was mostly used as an impact substitute. With no clear plans to integrate him into the team, Arsenal loaned the Ivorian to OGC Nice in the hope of reviving some lost confidence.
After another bright start to life at a new club, Pepe’s overall performances have been underwhelming. He has still managed to score six times in Ligue 1. The French side are open to signing him permanently if he improves his displays between now and the end of the season.
Otherwise, he will return to Arsenal for pre-season, but the Gunners are ready to offload the 27-year-old underperforming attacker. There is no chance Arsenal will collect a chunk of the £72 million paid for him. Yet, they hope to achieve a reasonable fee with a year left on his deal.
Arsenal are already looking at new options for their right-wing, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby their preferred target in the summer. Arteta wants to evolve with ideas for the wide attacking areas and does not see the 27-year-old in his plans.
Pepe will know he has no future at Arsenal and will look to angle a move back to France if given the option. For now, Nice may remain open to bringing him permanently but will consider the finances involved before deciding.
They could pay a modest fee but will want Pepe to drastically reduce his current salary. Arsenal will certainly want the underperformer out of the squad as soon as possible, but if they demand a significant fee, they risk losing him for free in 2024.
