‘I was Arsenal’s most expensive signing – it was shocking to some and I paid the price’

The pressure of becoming Arsenal’s all-time record signing weighed heavily on one infamous flop who believes he “paid the price” after failing to meet expectations

Becoming Arsenal’s record signing was a burden that weighed heavily on Nicolas Pepe, who believes he “paid the price” for that privilege.

The Ivorian’s £72million move to the Emirates Stadium in 2019 was met with plenty of excitement – but also a healthy dose of trepidation. While many were excited to see the Gunners splashing the cash under Unai Emery after years of Arsene Wenger’s famed frugality, others raised caution at such a huge outlay on the back of two impressive seasons in Ligue 1.

Pepe, 29, went on to score 27 goals and record 21 assists in 112 appearances for Arsenal over the next three seasons, far below what was expected after such expense. However, the Ivorian has outlined certain ways in which he was set up to fail, as he sees it.

“When a club pays that much for you, the little details don’t matter,” he told The Athletic. “I was young; it was the first time I had left France to play abroad. I had to adapt in lots of ways, but people don’t see that. They only see what happens on the pitch.

“Automatically, the first player to be criticised is the one that cost a lot of money. You have to be getting goals and assists, goals and assists. People expected 30, 35, 40 goals a season. But it was only [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it.”

Pepe – who said the £72m figure “played on his mind” – inspired hope he would come good when he scored 16 goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign. However, Mikel Arteta’s takeover at the helm combined with Bukayo Saka’s emergence on the right wing worked against him.

After a loan spell back in France with Nice, Pepe’s contract was terminated before joining Turkish side Trabzonspor for free in 2023. He then joined Villarreal on another free transfer this past summer, and although his career has recovered somewhat, Pepe can’t help wondering what might have been at Arsenal under different circumstances.

“There was this relentlessness as if people didn’t care about the adaptation process,” he added. “It was, ‘You have to perform, you have to perform.’ It’s like I served as an example for those that followed. Clubs now think, ‘If we’re going to pay big for a player, we have to protect him.’ Arsenal protected me, but it was like it was the first time.

“Today, there are players who cost a lot more than me and are producing less than I did, but they don’t get criticised. I think my move was shocking to some people in the sense that it was the first big fee [Arsenal has paid]. I think if they paid the same amount for me now, I wouldn’t be criticised in the same way.”

The jury is perhaps out on that claim if Pepe produced the same figures as he managed in his first attempt. Arsenal have since broken the bank (and their spending record) to sign Declan Rice for £100m last year, but the Englishman is so far proving it’s possible to cope with the pressures that come with that territory.

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