New Arsenal singings are pushing Pépé towards the exit - an end to a disastrous spell in London

Few would doubt that Arsenal look like a team reborn this season, following a tremendous start to the new Premier League campaign which has seen Mikel Arteta’s side pick up three wins from three against the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Bournemouth. What makes such results even more impressive is that the Gunners seem to be benefitting almost entirely from recent additions to their squad. 

Whether it be the goals of Gabriel Jesus or the tenacity of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arsenal look like a squad ready to challenge for a top four finish thanks to this summer’s signings. Which, to no great surprise, have done well to improve upon some impressive transfers from last season too, in the form of Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu and new club captain Martin Ødegaard. 

However, “in with the new” often means “out with the old” in football and while Arsenal have already moved on a number of unwanted squad players, one former star that also looks set to depart the North London club before the end of the summer transfer window is none other than Nicolas Pépé. Still known for being the club’s record signing from Lille in 2019, the winger has been heavily linked with either a loan move back to the Ligue 1 side or a permanent move to Leicester. And few would begrudge the player opting for just about any move away from Arsenal, where he has truly struggled over the course of the past three years. 

From hero to zero - Pépé’s struggles at Arsenal 

Pépé was signed in the summer of 2019 for a remarkable fee of €80 million, which was largely based on his performances for Lille in the French top flight. Over the course of 107 league games in France, the winger bagged 38 goals and 17 assists, with a particularly impressive run of form in the 18/19 season which saw him pick up 22 goals and 11 assists in just 38 league games. However, what may have been overlooked in Arsenal’s scouting report on the player was the fact that no less than seven of Pépé’s 22 goals in the league came from the penalty spot. Which meant, in reality, the winger had in fact picked up a perfectly decent but by no means incredible tally of 15 goals and 11 assists in 38 league games. And it was that contrast between expectation and reality that tripped up the player when he eventually arrived in London. 

This meant that rather than averaging 0.89 goals and assists per 90 minutes, Pépé’s real average was closer to 0.70. And when he managed to only muster an average of 0.45 per 90 in his first Premier League campaign for Arsenal, his reputation dropped like a stone and the young Ivory Coast international was labelled a flop. The following summer saw the club sign Willian from Chelsea in a bid to bolster their wing positions and Pépé saw his game time in the English top flight half. Last season he managed just 681 minutes of league football.

To no great surprise, since making the move to Arsenal and struggling to live up to expectation, Pépé’s market value has plummeted like a stone. From a high of €75m in September 2019, the winger’s value has consistently fallen over the course of the past three years and now stands at just €25m. And unless the player can find a new club to play for this season, it’s unlikely that Pépé will be able to improve his market value anytime soon.