The record signing the world forgot about: What happened to Nicolas Pépé?

[@rcarl1473]

Perfect storm: wrong player , wrong recruitment team, wrong fee, wrong manager. I’m a Pepe fan, it’s sad it didn’t work out

[@ghanirizu9342]

All I see is excuses

[@ItsZachPlayz_]

​@@ghanirizu9342He didn't work out in our team and we overpaid. What else do you want us to say?

[@javierlandaverde4108]

I always thought, Arteta should've played him as a false 9 where he would thrive in scoring goals. Doesn't have to worry about the pressing as much as the position of the wingers for Arteta.

[@kanchha17]

E

[@theonlypewee9335]

@@ghanirizu9342excuses? For what? Lol dumb comment

[@bhagyeshkotian1747]

He was so different to anyone in the premier league, gutted he couldn't prove himself.

[@tidedetergent4382]

Yeah, worst expensive signing

[@urbz100]

He had chances , not good enough

[@ohgin12345]

​@@tidedetergent4382just one of many. Declan Rice is next

[@anti3374]

​@@tidedetergent4382 nah, no way around hazard on that front

[@CimbomFanFiction]

@@ohgin12345declan rice?! Lol ooook buddy

[@mikechileshe7407]

Pepe and Sancho scored the same amount of goals in the same number of matches but people call Pepe a bigger flop

[@ammarharith5512]

Sancho is a bigger flop. Antony would follow suit.

[@imranxalamin]

i don't think arsenal fans think with their heads

[@TheKh65]

​@@imranxalaminI don't think you think with your head

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@ammarharith5512 The biggest flop is Arteta after spending 750m quid 8th, 8th, 5th and bottled it. Fcuking useless

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@TheKh65 Says the worthless cnut

[@goated6146]

Pepe wasn't even that bad, this is coming from someone who watched every match he played in the shirt. He just wasn't intense enough and had lapses in concentration and poor decision making at times. He was a victim of circumstance being a counter attacking player in a possession system and he also fell victim to Bukayo Saka breaking out too. He still had good numbers and he was fun to watch. He never really got a run of games and I thought Arteta was out of order dropping him for Saka and Martinelli so often but in hindsight it was 100% the correct choice because he was trying to develop them and they're turning out to be world class. The only thing I think Arteta did wrong was never giving him a run of games at Striker because he looked good there when he played it, but then again we had Aubameyang and Laca. Like I said he was a victim of circumstances, he wasn't a bad player.

[@christophery8927]

lol you mentioned he wasn’t a bad player than you said what he was bad at haha. 😂

[@DOOMSDAY2317]

He deserves more NGL😢the guy was a joy to watch

[@S0L12D3]

His play style is too similar to other players that do it better!! It’s why there aren’t many top clubs that would have him…..

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@S0L12D3 Says another clueless plastic

[@ToxicAfricanKing]

He definitely not a flop. Matter of fact, he was one of the best finishers and technical players in Arsenal. I think he suffered the unfortunate circumstance of a club struggling to transition.

[@visianwatson1047]

Exactly this

[@BoxOfOranges84]

That's a fair point. At 24-25 years old, he wasn't going to be given the same grace period as the younger players

[@mogulloyd2071]

While he has the technical chops, he was one footed and needed space to dribble which the PL doesn't offer. Terminating a contract and going to Besiktas is definitely a flop

[@nqobilengema2165]

You are contradictory, what you just types by definition ia a flop, as an arsenal fan, the man is a flop, if he was true quality, he would of worked out, like how xhaka became

[@josewayy]

@@BoxOfOranges84i feel for him his debut season wasnt that bad compared to others he had 18 goal contributions in 42 games

[@markc1628]

As an Arsenal supporter, I was so excited to sign Nico Pepe. I really thought we had signed our own version of Ryhad Mahrez. Unfortunate that it didn't work out, but I will always have a soft spot for Nico after his contributions in the FA Cup victory. But little did I know we had our own little StarBoy coming through in Pepe's exact position via Hale End ... ⭐

[@tajsonpjetri6795]

In second season was a beast

[@Cameron.Robert]

You got it mostly, but I'd add two points: 1) Arteta refused to play him on the left or down the middle. For Arteta a winger is always inverted and this was disastrous for Nicolas as he likes the ball on the outside of his foot shielding it from the defender. Instead he'd get double-teamed immediately and turn the ball over, which made him look really bad. At Lille he was on the left but would cut inside almost like a 9. 2) Arteta patently refused to play Nico, Auba and Laca as the front three. Auba had to be on the right (which ruined him) so he could play defense (which as a CF was never going to suit him) and Pepe only came on with the essentially B team for cups, with El Neny and Xhaka who could give him no service. Auba and Laca are as much a part of this story as Pepe, and it was an absolute shame that front line was never utilized -- at the time, a real answer to Liverpool's Firmino, Salah and Mané.

[@nqobilengema2165]

I get you but you being narrow minded, modern football has shown every player must play to benefit the team, auba, laca and pepe all were individuals not overall team tactical players, thats why it didn't work with arteta, he has adopted the team plays together and everyone moves as 1, unfortunately those players didn't fit(except laca, he was just not good enough quality)

[@phteven9610]

That's such a lazy take to excuse Pepe's bad performance. Arteta doesn't only want to play inverted wingers, last season we saw Martinelli on the right and sometimes even Saka on the left. Hell, even when Pepe was here he sometimes played on the left. His shortcomings come from being very one footed and not wanting to develop his right, being very undisciplined when it comes to defending, and not being aware of space and where to position himself. In his last season at Arsenal I kept seeing Arteta telling him where to sit on the pitch, I guess Pepe wants to be more free and roam but modern football at the highest level requires a lot more discipline.

[@Cameron.Robert]

And through the hard work you've done to come up with your analysis, why didn't Arteta ever play Laca Auba Pepe as a dynamic trio? Or maybe he did and I must have missed those few minutes here or there. It's piss in the wind m8, football's moved on, but the vid was about the past, a past where we didn't finish very high up the table.... @@phteven9610

[@Cameron.Robert]

You're right, you're right. The idea of playing to a player's strengths is no longer available, or as Herbert Chapman said, "Unfortunately, we're not allowed to study style. So severe is the competition, that we are compelled to sacrifice what ambitions we may have for effect." @@nqobilengema2165

[@tamhameenie3136]

That's just blatantly false, Pepe always played as a right winger with Lille, that's his preferred position.

[@hidingman3578]

I actually have been thinking about him semi-recently, just wondering why it didn't work out even though he showed signs of promise. This vid summed it up really well!

[@dankharrold3774]

You've been thinking about him and getting a semi recently?

[@hidingman3578]

@@dankharrold3774 Yeah that's right

[@winter_silhouette]

​@@hidingman3578you're either too honest ortoo naive

[@hidingman3578]

@@winter_silhouette lol im joking around man

[@YRS24]

​@@hidingman3578haha good bantz

[@Maj1794]

As an Arsenal fan I remember the signing of pepe like it was yesterday and the hype around him around the time.. such a shame it hasnt worked out!

[@nabothisaacniwagaba7705]

Pepe is the most entertaining player I have seen at Arsenal after Henry and Carzola. The way defenses feared him, and how he curved his goals after cutting in from the right. Even his passing was similar to that of Thomas Partey (Calm and settled). However he became a victim of a system in transition. When Arteta came in, he wanted a winger who back tracks and uses more energy than Pepe could afford. Pepe was denied the freestyle of play that he was used to at Lille. He became isolated on the pitch and the Boss was always shouting at him to pass the ball. I feel so sorry for this extra talented youngman. I hope he picks his former self at Besiktas

[@sheikhrobbie466]

0:06 right now because I can’t get rid of him on my football manager save 😢

[@lyylski]

He's the most frustrating player to watch but somehow he's also extremely efficient for G/A.

[@raymanLENG]

the english media was very harsh on him and he couldn't cope with the pressure, this man goals contributions was way more sancho or antony and still got the hate from the media.

[@THENAGES]

Yet they'll want to talk about Sancho and Antony 🤦

[@TetasGunners]

Have to feel for Pepe you could be fooled into believing he’s world class watching his highlights of his best moments playing for Arsenal. The sad truth is these types of wingers like Pepe and for example Antony at Man U is they are heavily reliant on their strong foot and if they can’t beat their man on the dribble they lack the positional awareness their managers seek for them to occupy to still be effective even if they arnt on the score sheet

[@alexsmith6322]

What moments are these that you’re talking about? Seriously

[@TetasGunners]

@@alexsmith6322 Pepe has something like 50 g/a in 115 games im sure you could find some moments in there that you can clip up and make him look like at least a good player. Couple moments that come to mind is when he scored two free kicks in one match or when he scored two vs Brighton.

[@stefan5730]

Pepe is much better than Antony though

[@anutoldlegend89]

I think it all boiled down to the fact that there was nefarious business in relation to his deal that the club wanted to get away from. I still hold that he's one of the best flops I've seen. Yeah, maybe he could've worked harder to convince people he should be a mainstay in the squad, but it's also hard to gain that momentum when you can't get more than three starts no matter how well you play. It just seemed at times that there was no room for him at Arsenal regardless of how he played.

[@rcarl1473]

His agent and Raul Sanheli (not sure on spelling) definitely pulled a fast one

[@alexsmith6322]

If you play well… you command a place in the team, no? The reason he didn’t have a place in the team, is because other players (who cost less and have less experience/theoretically shouldn’t be better players) were better than him… I can’t believe the number of excuses that are being made in this comment section

[@Shadowz_Music]

Nothing went wrong with Pepe. He was just expensive but he was better than so many prem players and his skills were unmatched.

[@Battofc1986]

He's good but he never fit into Arteta's system and his natural position was taken by Saka, he was played outside of his usual position and played few games and was used as a substitute mainly. He lost his confidence and regular playing time to develop himself, this translated into his game and what we see from him today.

[@CatFuntCanton]

Arteta's same system that bottled the league and hasn't won Arsenal anything for 3 years

[@maximus6791]

@@CatFuntCantonhe can’t take saka place tho

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@maximus6791 The over rated Saka who misses important penalties, hasn't won anything and bottles titles? That Saka?

[@thomasarsenal5465]

Hey Adrian! Really happy to be seeing the recent Arsenal related content recently so thank you! ❤👌💯 I agree with some of the comments I think Nico has all the ability in the world, but I think he needs to be the key man and be shown plenty of love. I do think it helped with his confidence how he was in and out of the starting 11 and featured sporadically. There were glimpses in the Europa League and in the League Cup etc. If nothing else he pushed Bukayo to step up and be the player he is now and nail down that RW role. Would have loved to see him do better but here we are and I hope he gets back to the form he showed at Lille. There are echoes of the likes of Ben Arfa, Taarabt etc with him, plenty of skills and not enough output 🔴⚪🔴⚪🔴⚪

[@lwandomadikizela2213]

Unai Emery wanted Zaha however the board opted to sign Pepe instead. Bar some flashes of brilliance especially in cup competitions, Pepe hasn't been great at all under Emery and Arteta plus the emergence of Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Trossard has reduced his game time. Even at Nice he was poor. Pepe joined the wrong club at the wrong time to evolve his game. A sad case of the most expensive African player ever.

[@TheOnlyTaps]

It's actually sad this one didn't work out. I expected him to do what Leão ended up doing for Milan. Will be interesting to see what eventually happens to him. I didn't keep up much with his loan stint back in Ligue 1 but i could definitely see him going to like a Napoli or something and somewhat reviving himself even if not hitting the heights that were anticipated of him. Great watch as always chief 👊🏿

[@TheOnlyTaps]

*And yeah that Edu stance is very respectable. Often clubs will hold onto players far too long than they should. Sort of basically hoping someone comes along and saves them with a transfer fee rather than just cutting ties and accepting it didn't work

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@TheOnlyTaps "And yeah that Edu stance is very respectable" The same Edu clown who somehow managed to pay 3m for a free signing and is now paying 72m signing Pepe 7.5m to leave the club Clueless

[@TheOnlyTaps]

@@CatFuntCanton Of course it's commendable coz often clubs refuse to say bye and end up with just paying those wages and endlessly loaning a player out lmao. I know because it happened with my club in Real Madrid we got stuck with Hazard Mariano etc instead of just paying off the contracts. So I respect Arsenal being able to make those decisions coz for example they got rid of Auba and benefited in the long run. All the other politics you complain about obviously comes part and parcel with football clubs you won't get everything right but making good decisions doesn't have to be directly correlated to the bad ones. Both can be true. It's not a case of one being true and the other being false lmao So of course I guess in Arsenal's case they made a lot of bad deals that got them in the predicament in the first place ✅ Then simultaneously ridding themselves of those contracts is good coz why would you want to sit on them and pray for transfer fees than just take the loss and cut ties ✅ Trust me with Real Madrid I would have loved if we had just binned Hazard and replaced him with a younger winger but we wasted so many years waiting for his contract to expire and inevitably missed out on using those wages elsewhere for example

[@YusufEbr]

@@CatFuntCantonhis going to get a lot wrong. Not every player will be successful. So long as it ends up leading to titles it doesn’t matter. There’s plenty of flops at plenty of clubs over the years. But they contributed to something. That’s just how it goes.

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@YusufEbr Deleting already lol Worthless boy

[@TwistedSoul2002]

I love the effort you’re putting into pronouncing these names! You even pronounce ‘premier’ with three syllables! 👍🏼😍😂

[@m6adam]

I'm not an arsenal fan but because of covid I watched every arsenal game that season. I understand Pepe didn't fulfil his potential but what Arteta did was also very wrong in my opinion. On the wing they had Saka and Pepe but he then signed a 33 year old Willian and played him nearly every game instead of giving Pepe a chance. Sorry if my explanation isnt explained correctly, English isn't my first language.

[@denzilhayes]

❤

[@boisesoccer]

Wow, I didn't realize Pepe is 28 years old already 😳

[@softdoc631]

Pepe may not have fitted into Arteta's system but he was badly managed. Arteta has alot to learn in managing perception of players he doesn't want in his team. And our fans dont help either. Sancho has been a worst signing than Pepe but watch how united will still get money selling him while we struggle to sell Pepe even for free. He is trying to do same with Tierney. It cost the club money at the end of the day. Pepe's confidence is totaly gone cos Arteta has finished it

[@khalil7708]

💯

[@alexsmith6322]

This video covered it all except for the actual problem: he cannot pass the ball. Seriously, the guy can either, pass it backwards to whoever passed it to him, or, run into a double team and lose the ball. I do think we miss used him by playing him, so isolated, and so out wide as if he was Bukayo Saka. He’s not that type of player we tried to use him as… but, even so, in the way we did use him his weaknesses were so glaringly obvious

[@heesingsia4634]

Read somewhere he also caused distress to his teammates due to his loud snoring. None of his teammates would share a room with him

[@salomaonplanetsaturn]

Such an interesting story. Here 🦡 friendly honey badger for you. Keep him happy ☺️

[@emmaorusachima4160]

Pepe needs to work with a phycologist, he is gifted, but his decisions on the pitch is his greatest set back. To be a top player, u must perform 7 and above performance consistently.

[@themikelee]

Great video. Only quibble: the image of Martinelli scoring that you used to show our counterattack was actually on an empty net. That doesn't really count as counter attacking football to me!

[@1972dsrai]

I see a move to the Saudi SPL for Pepe in the near future where they’ll happily pay huge wages for a still young guy with lots of ability.

[@mainchannel1566]

1. I'm shocked he's 28, I thought he was only 1-2 years older than Saka. 2. Pepe is an example of why I'm always weary of buying a player after one excellent season.

[@christophery8927]

Simply he was not the standard a player should be. Good video!

[@09juarez95]

Season after the fa cup arteta showed little faith in him. Arteta signed willian and started willian over him despite willian playing terrible . Willian played so bad he canceled his contract and fled the country meanwhile Pepe finished with 10 epl goals . Arteta was a rookie manager at the time , made a lot of mistakes at that time as well . There was a time period many arsenal fans, wanted arteta out with two consecutive finishes outside of champions league with little progress . Arteta is still learning but as proven himself . Pepe has been very unlucky , lacks confidence

[@giorgitezelashvili7060]

He wasn’t bad signing at all. “Problem” was Saka. We tried to play Saka as Wing-Back and Nico was good as a winger. When Saka started as RW Pepe had good games as LW so he needed to adapt. And then ESR and Martinelli emerged as a starting 11 players so his game time was reduced. If Saka wasn’t RW he might end up being one of the best. But at the end of the day he wasn’t 72M caliber player but he was good enough to be one of the best RW in prem

[@afctaylor12]

If wasn't for sake smith row that season we would have finished 5 or 10 points above relegation. He struggled to get in that Southend team. Even André Santos would have played better in that position

[@ElWrighto]

Maguire was is in a similar situation and we are getting 30m for him

[@bradd__]

Pepe didn't flop at Arsenal he just doesnt fit in Arteta system similar to Tierney

[@afctaylor12]

We nearly got relegated because of him stop sprouting ball shit two kid smith row and saka stop us finish 10 or 15 points regulations

[@ohgin12345]

Haha that's why arsenal is a joke with fans like you.

[@joncoady3253]

That's ridiculous. That would leave him thinking to much before striking the ball.

[@ammarharith5512]

I'm not an Arsenal fan, but I was excited to see him tear up opposition's defence in the PL. Too bad it didn't pan out as expected of him & his hefty price tag. 😅

[@bak8823]

Same thing that happened with Maguire. Good players but clubs did not do proper research on them

[@kingbartholomewthe1above317]

As a Napoli fan, Thank God. We Dodged a Bullet there and then proceeded to sign the 2nd best striker in the world.

[@Maj1794]

You never know perhaps napoli would've suited him

[@1972dsrai]

He never reached his potential at Arsenal for various reasons. He was asked to play as a winger in a more structured formation unlike what he was used to in France where he had free reign to drift all over the pitch. He probably wasn’t given a long enough run in the first team to build consistent form but did show in small spells that he did have the ability, he just didn’t show it enough and Arteta has shown he doesn’t shirk from dropping players whoever they are if they don’t fit in his plans.

[@Muradwalis92]

I’m a besiktas fan, so the last time I thought of him was last week, we wanted to sign him but in the end didn’t want to. So we are going to sign oxlade in his stead.

[@vocheseleon]

I think of him everyday. We should have tried him as a 9

[@altesande]

Pepe is an inside forward , Saka is a winger. Meaning Pepe should be playing in Odergaard’s spaces in the halfspaces while Saka is in the wide spaces. It’s Arteta’s tactics that limited him. He needed an overlapping fullback. But that means the RCM will stay deep instead of advanced like Odergaard

[@tobaepebinuade5830]

It's easy to forget that Nicolas Pepe is still an Arsenal player. When he made that big money move to Arsenal from Lille, there was a lot of excitement around his transfer, because he had great goalscoring qualities and shooting, excellent dribbling a great change of pace, many thought that he would head to Arsenal as an impactful player in 2019. It's crazy to me, that he hasn't been discussed nearly enough for how big of a disaster he has been for Arsenal and he's one of the biggest flops in football history. In his first season, he underwhelmed even if he showed flashes of brilliance, it did feel as if he was weighed down by this huge transfer fee, and he just didn't play well in his debut season, his second season was mixed and he hit a purple patch of form towards the end of that season where he was scoring goals and he looked lively and it looked like Nicolas Pepe was finally coming good for Arsenal. The following season, due to the emergence of Bukayo Saka, and inconsistent performances, he spent most of the season on the bench, and then even when he was on the field, he barely performed and that's been the story of his Arsenal career, where he's had great moments and then others where he's nonexistent on the field and they paid so much money for him years ago. Last season, he was sent back to Ligue 1 on loan where there he was poor again and now that he's back at Arsenal, he's not in Mikel Arteta's plans next season and the club is considering terminating his contract altogether and this was such a bad move for both parties. For Arsenal, they absolutely got this piece of transfer business wrong on all fronts. They overpaid for Nicolas Pepe, because before this big money move, he had one standout season with Lille, where he scored 20+ goals and provided 10+ assists while playing in Ligue 1 and that convinced them to pay 80+ million for him. When a club pays a lot of money for a player, there's a lot of expectation around you from the fans, media, pundits, etc because many will question if you were really worth it and is good enough at the elite level, because the premier league is a different ballgame compared to what he was doing in Ligue 1 in his final season with Lille. That area, the expectations to deliver because of the transfer fee, affected him in his first season at Arsenal and wasn't able to string together a consistent run of performances and after the arrival of Mikel Arteta, 18 months into his tenure there, he saw the flaws of his game and the lack of consistency in his performances and he knew that he couldn't rely on him long term and didn't fit the project of the club, hence why he spent a lot of time on the bench and found game time harder and harder to come by and 3 years later just on loan after they paid that much money for him, where was he, in Ligue 1 again. He wasn't a good fit for this team and the money Arsenal paid for him was just too much. In the last 18 months, we've seen the excellence of Bukayo Saka for Arsenal, as he's scoring goals, making assists, he's dazzled on the right wing and is an important player for this Arsenal team and he's set to hold down that right wing position for the next decade, and this is what Nicolas Pepe was supposed to be doing regularly when he was brought to Arsenal and now we're seeing an academy player in Saka doing what Pepe should've done. It's unlikely that he'll ever get back to the player he was before this Arsenal transfer after he leaves there but this was just a terrible transfer and he went from expensive player to expensive flop, forgotten about and not wanted by Arsenal anymore and also any other club as well.

[@vjgaming4066]

I think he doesnt have the workrate or defensive awareness for PL at all. Should have just stuck with French league and racked goals there.

[@Kakascrot]

I saw the thumbnail and thought it was Pogba, then thought who's Pepe, then remembered as soon as the video started lol

[@danlewis5977]

Its a shame because he did show moments of brilliance, it was a risk when we signed him and sadly it didn't work out but hopefully he can find success wherever he ends up

[@uriustosh]

Overhyped, wasnt worth the price. That was my opinion at the time but I didnt think it would turn out as poorly as it did.

[@adaldi_]

Goal Contribution wise, he's better than Sancho and Antony. Both costing more than Pepe. Pepe reached 20+ Goal Contribution while Sancho's best was at 10 and Antony last season was 11. Pretty sad to see as a United fan seeing Pepe rightfully not being played and sold by Arsenal while Antony and Sancho are still starting for Manchester United. 😔

[@sol1s_]

Him being a keeper makes so much sense in regards to his strengths on the pitch but also his flaws. He doesn’t seem to understand the flow of the game or help progress the ball well with his teammates. Great in the final third but in the middle… yikes. Great as an individual in short actions but over a full 90? Yikes. Wish him the best but glad Arteta and Edu have taken the stance they have to be honest.

[@aliveandhopeful5080]

Very recently actually, but maybe that's because I'm an arsenal fan 😅

[@Leehuss5582]

Overinflating players real worth is the underlying problem of modern sports especially football. As a Gooner I was exited at the prospect of Pepe joining. Was he in wrong position stopping him and us capitalising.

[@stealthblack9713]

The problem now is Arsenal are playing a system that just doesn't suit him, but he will very well for a lot of other teams

[@CatFuntCanton]

The problem now is Arsenal are playing a system that bottles titles and wins nothing for 3 years Banter FC

[@natestansbie3954]

ah yes bottling in my view finishing 2nd and giving city a challenge is not a Bottle it is actually exceeding expectations

[@CatFuntCanton]

@@natestansbie3954 Exceeding expectations by winning fcuk all for the 3rd season running because cone layer thought the clowns Elneny, Nketiah and Holding all deserved extended contracts and were all good enough to make small club Arsenal title winners for the first time in 2 decades... Comedy Gold

[@ohgin12345]

@@CatFuntCanton watching arsenal is like watching a movie on how to destroy a club

[@sakthiishprince2331]

Strange you didn’t reference , Pepe’s interview.

[@Lonely_dove]

He just even didn’t try to beat his man. It was like he was scared.

[@glenno-2403]

Should go to Seria A, MLS, or Saudi, the latter two can afford a transfer fee. He is a great winger as long as he isn’t required to defend

[@ahnaftahmid1335]

being a goal keeper at young age benefitted him but also created flaws in his attacking game his off the ball movements both defensively and offensively was so poor......he was a player who didn't understand space very well

[@The-ur6ir]

The problem with Pepe was that he was wildly inconsistent. He may be the more flashy dribbler on the occasion, but when Saka came into the side he was more consistent. Pepe's technical level is just not secure enough to allow Arsenal to sustain their attacks as moves would break down often. Just not good enough.

[@vongunnar]

As a Arsenal fan, every time a transfer-talk is on the table..

[@souvikalpha9597]

I was craving for this video, u read my mind❤

[@vanderstevens]

Sanllehi bought Pepe after Emery asked for a left winger. They were heavily linked with Zaha back then.

[@valvevac-systemchecker3773]

His dribbling was great tbh

[@thepurplesband]

He couldn’t control the ball when it mattered.

[@valvevac-systemchecker3773]

@@thepurplesband nah was mostly an issue of lacking vision and the endproduct

[@pavolkrajcovic745]

Technically great, good finishing, but he somewhat always seems to slowed out Arsenals attacks. I dont understand his price tag

[@1deagwonder440]

I really think he was a promising talent.

[@C-OBrien]

talented for sure but ultimately i think he has himself to blame, maybe the club is also at fault for a somewhat directionless signing, but modern players have to be adaptable, if you have to track back you track back, if you have to press you press, in possession stuff is only half the game and if you want to get away with not doing it you've got to be m'bappe or messi level of brilliant to be worth including in the team.

[@kaiganaxabystc4136]

It just didn't work out. But I still have respect for him.

[@virupakshawalla5734]

Edu words ringing in Pepe agent ... I pay them to leave lol. Willian only one just walked. Full respect to the man..

[@someguynamedmike4766]

His stats from his last season at Lille showed he may be a risk from the amount of pens in his total figures

[@atlason86]

Feels worth mentioning 9 of his 22 goals in the 18/19 season that made him so highly sought after were penalties. So 13 goals from open play and 11 assists from 38 games in Ligue 1. Absolutely mad transfer fee and he has had to suffer for it.

[@kevingil39]

For Lille those are great stats as a winger. Double digits without the penalties is an achievement for any player of any caliber.

[@user-cs4tc4ow5z]

There is nothing folden does that Saka does not at least match. Rio thinks like the present Man U managenent. They spend stupendiously acquirng players who are at best average.

[@Bennett2142]

He isn't a system player unfortunately, however he is great on the ball.

[@EubulusKane3259]

Kinda makes a lot of sense he was a goalkeeper because, despite obvious raw talent, his pressing, positioning and body shape was lacking. He was also something a lone Wolf individualist on the wing position (kind of like a goalie but outfield), with an infuriating habit of dribbling backwards. Not ideal for an Arteta team.

[@tombrown1515]

theres rumors we want money for him and are in a stalemate

[@lancinekeita4823]

I'm Ivorian and an Arsenal / Emery fan... So I think about this guy every so often, I was fucking annoyed that Arsenal skipped on ZAHA a more experienced IVORIAN (as Emery wanted) and got this kid for twice the amount.

[@stevencooke6451]

I don't like his chances at redemption. When players go off form they rarely get it back. Arsenal do not seem to give away players who shine elsewhere.

[@virupakshawalla5734]

Arteta would have played him if he was good enough no matter the price. He couldn't cope with the tactics I think and it hit his confidence. Sad but time to move on. He got about 7 million a year for a few years. Hopefully it's not wasted and invested. We may have to pay part last salary to end contract.

[@ohgin12345]

Nah, arteta is just another useless spoiled brat who needs everything in his way. I hope kroenke just throw arsenal away and let them go bust

[@zapshenko_]

damn...3 Dortmund players contract terminated #BvB

[@andrewg3768]

Wasn't played enough or consistently enough, even when he was MOM he soon was dropped to the bench or entirely!

[@kushalwoodhoo2575]

What ruined him is his attitude!! He let himself be influenced by poor attitude players like aubameyang, lacazette and ozil.

[@GGMONTANA]

I wish he worked out

[@d1nesh._223]

Banging content

[@ahmed_suleman]

In my opinion I think the problem is lack of confidence and motivation and also the style of play in EPL, there is no doubt for his ability, he is a talented player, he is not made for this league and the play style of Arteta.

[@lbrahimplay]

His attitude was horrible from the minute he walked in the Colney

[@akilamperouge960]

dortmund, bayern, crystal palace, ac milan, or inter or juventus is a destination for pepe

[@denzilhayes]

He's best season he got 10 goals in the Premier league. Sancho and Antony got 10 together in the prem last season. Yet pepe is a flop and the other two start games every week. I just think arteta didn't like him

[@DeusexmachinaChutzpahSipahiAsh]

Do a video on mkhytarian

[@aenz1268]

I know you briefly mention it a couple of times, but I think you may have underemphasized Pepe's number one issue at Arsenal: Bukayo Saka. Fundamentally, in a formation like Arsenal's the only position Pepe is suited to is RW. He can play as a LW in a pinch, but it really hampers his ability to cut inside and shoot. Pepe is a decent RW, in fact I'd argue that he is a fair bit better than most Premier League fans give him credit for, but he is still worse than Saka in just about every way imaginable. Ever since Saka was brought back to the Right Wing after his stint at Left Back, I just don't think Pepe has had much of a chance as anything other than a backup. With a price tag of 72m and a large salary, I don't think Pepe is a particularly suitable understudy for a kid 6 years younger than him. So it was never going to work. He was never going to get the minutes required to reach his potential, so it's for the best that he leave.

[@khalil7708]

So why not sell him at that point.

[@reisssato902]

Pepe didn't really apply himself, that's why the manager didn't play him

[@jamietuohy4523]

Been using his special card in fifa so I know all about him😂

[@anzsolo1025]

The problem with Pepe was Bukayo Saka. He burst into the team and the rest is history.

[@LONKALUKSV]

All pace no substance. Worked himself into and almost directly out of great positions. Finishing was strictly average.

[@Shuttertext]

A Chelsea fan joining Arsenal. Thank you Agent Pepe.

[@aaronnilestoussaint5672]

Pepe to me feels like a player who should’ve just stuck in ligue 1 or bundesliga

[@gurururuwarararara8164]

I vividly remember Arsenal supporters claiming their frontline would match Liverpools when Pepe arrived, as in, they actually proclaimed that Lacazette-Aubameyang-Pepe would be on par with Salah-Firmino-Manè (God I miss their prime days) 😂😂

[@goated6146]

Bro at that time that front line looked insane on paper you can't even deny that.

[@donrebel1340]

this should be interesting...!

[@S0L12D3]

We didn’t forget about him…. He’s been rotting at our club😂

[@TheKh65]

When did Arsenal finish 9th?

[@simondababy277]

Hot take If he had scored that one on one against Liverpool he would of turned out to be our Mahrez 😂