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Arsenal sell very expensive flop Nicolas Pepe to Trabzonspor

By on September 8, 2023

nicolas pepe arsenal

Arsenal have sold record signing Nicolas Pepe to Turkish side Trabzonspor this summer, as per the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The 28-year-old moved to the Emirates Stadium back in 2019 from LOSC Lille in a £72m deal and became the club’s record signing at that time. He was signed by the former manager Unai Emery, but soon after the African’s arrival, the Gunners decided to relieve the Spaniard of his duties and replace him with Mikel Arteta.

After a below-par debut campaign, optimism was there that Pepe would be able to showcase his best in the following campaign after settling down in the new surroundings. However, things didn’t change much and eventually, Arteta realised that Pepe wasn’t the right man to help the club achieve their lofty ambitions.

So, the Gunners boss decided to send him out on loan last term before selling him this summer. Writing on Twitter, Romano has reported that Pepe received offers from Saudi Arabian clubs but he rejected a move to the Middle East and opted to join Trabzonspor, instead.

The journalist further claims that the African will join the Turkish side permanently but he has only agreed to sign a one-year contract.

Arsenal sell Pepe

It has been suggested that Arsenal are set to receive a fee of around £3m from Trabzonspor for Pepe – whose current contract was set to expire at the end of this season.

So, Arsenal’s previous record signing has turned out to be an expensive flop. But, the North Londoners will be hoping that Declan Rice – who is now the club’s most expensive player – won’t end up like Pepe.

Arteta’s side have signed Rice in a whopping £105m deal from West Ham United this summer and he has looked promising in the first few games. So, it is going to be interesting to see whether Rice can eventually help Arsenal achieve success going forward.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are currently unbeaten in the league this season and have accumulated 10 points from four games, sitting only two points behind the league leaders Manchester City.

The Gunners will be hoping to keep their momentum going when they return to action after the international break. They will play against Everton at Goodison Park next before commencing their Champions League campaign versus PSV Eindhoven.

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