Nicolas Pepe, a former record-breaking acquisition for Arsenal, was paid an absurdly meager £3 million on Thursday. On the last day of the Turkish transfer window, Mikel Arteta finally accomplished offloading the outcast to Trabzonspor.
Since Arteta arrived at the Emirates Stadium, Pepe has been viewed as surplus to needs. The Ivorian played on loan at French club Nice last season.
Despite persistent rumors of a transfer to Besiktas, there weren’t many offers for the winger this summer. Before Trabzonspor eventually moved on Thursday, that transaction collapsed.
It puts an unimpressive end to a player who had once been the Premier League team’s record signing. Lille was lured to North London in 2019 by Arsenal, who paid him almost £72 million.
Pepe originally performed admirably for his then-boss Unai Emery, but he soon lost his edge, and the rise of Bukayo Saka in recent years has slowed down his progress. Get French Football News reports that after trying to flog the 28-year-old elsewhere all summer, Arsenal will now only collect £3 million for him.
In 80 appearances with the Gunners, the former Angers star scored 16 goals. He scored six goals in 19 games while on loan at Nice the previous season, which might have made Arsenal think they might get a good price for him this summer.
Some fans have criticized Arsenal for not getting a return on their investment in pricey talents, which has led to Pepe’s departure. With Pepe, the Gunners have made a net loss of about £69 million.
For just £4 million apiece, the defenders Rob Holding and Pablo Mari were transferred to Crystal Palace and Monza, respectively. Some fans believed that Granit Xhaka’s transfer to Bayer Leverkusen should have brought the club more than £15 million.
Even though the Evening Standard claims that Arsenal initially demanded £50 million for Folarin Balogun, the north Londoners ultimately received £25 million. Balogun, who scored 23 goals for Reims last season, has moved permanently to Monaco.
Nevertheless, those expenditures assisted Arsenal in adhering to Financial Fair Play guidelines throughout the summer. This made it possible for Arteta and sporting director Edu to spend an astounding £200 million on fresh acquisitions.
Declan Rice’s £105 million transfer made Pepe the club’s most expensive player obsolete. In addition, Jurrien Timber arrived for £35 million, Kai Havertz cost £65 million, and David Raya signed a temporary loan agreement that will become a permanent one the following summer.
