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

The unit of becoming Arsenal's all-time grounds signing weighed heavy connected 1 infamous flop who believes helium "paid the price" aft failing to conscionable expectations

Becoming Arsenal's grounds signing was a load that weighed heavy connected Nicolas Pepe, who believes helium "paid the price" for that privilege.

The Ivorian's £72million determination to the Emirates Stadium successful 2019 was met with plentifulness of excitement - but besides a steadfast dose of trepidation. While galore were excited to spot the Gunners splashing the currency nether Unai Emery aft years of Arsene Wenger's famed frugality, others raised caution astatine specified a immense outlay connected the backmost of 2 awesome seasons successful Ligue 1.

Pepe, 29, went connected to people 27 goals and grounds 21 assists successful 112 appearances for Arsenal implicit the adjacent 3 seasons, acold beneath what was expected aft specified expense. However, the Ivorian has outlined definite ways successful which helium was acceptable up to fail, arsenic helium sees it.

"When a nine pays that overmuch for you, the small details don’t matter," helium told The Athletic. "I was young; it was the archetypal clip I had near France to play abroad. I had to accommodate successful tons of ways, but radical don’t spot that. They lone spot what happens connected the pitch.

"Automatically, the archetypal subordinate to beryllium criticised is the 1 that outgo a batch of money. You person to beryllium getting goals and assists, goals and assists. People expected 30, 35, 40 goals a season. But it was lone [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a batch of wealth connected maine and I paid the terms for it."

Pepe - who said the £72m fig "played connected his mind" - inspired anticipation helium would travel bully erstwhile helium scored 16 goals successful each competitions during the 2020/21 campaign. However, Mikel Arteta's takeover astatine the helm combined with Bukayo Saka's emergence connected the close helping worked against him.

After a indebtedness spell backmost successful France with Nice, Pepe's declaration was terminated earlier joining Turkish broadside Trabzonspor for escaped successful 2023. He past joined Villarreal connected different escaped transportation this past summer, and though his vocation has recovered somewhat, Pepe can't assistance wondering what mightiness person been astatine Arsenal nether antithetic circumstances.

"There was this relentlessness arsenic if radical didn’t attraction astir the adaptation process," helium added. "It was, ‘You person to perform, you person to perform.’ It’s similar I served arsenic an illustration for those that followed. Clubs present think, ‘If we’re going to wage large for a player, we person to support him.' Arsenal protected me, but it was similar it was the archetypal time.

"Today, determination are players who outgo a batch much than maine and are producing little than I did, but they don’t get criticised. I deliberation my determination was shocking to immoderate radical successful the consciousness that it was the archetypal large interest [Arsenal has paid]. I deliberation if they paid the aforesaid magnitude for maine now, I wouldn’t beryllium criticised successful the aforesaid way."

The assemblage is possibly retired connected that assertion if Pepe produced the aforesaid figures arsenic helium managed successful his archetypal attempt. Arsenal person since breached the slope (and their spending record) to motion Declan Rice for £100m past year, but the Englishman is truthful acold proving it's imaginable to header with the pressures that travel with that territory.

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