Former Arsenal player Nicolas Pepe has joined La Liga club Villarreal on a two-year deal.
When he first joined Arsenal, the footballer was expected to do great things, but he found it difficult to live up to the hype.
After spending just a year in Turkey with Trabzonspor, Pepe secured a deal with Spanish team Villarreal, signing a two-year contract as a free agent.
Before his contract was terminated last summer, the 29-year-old scored 27 goals in 112 appearances over his four years at the Emirates after joining the Gunners for a then-club-record price of £72 million from Lille in 2019.
Villarreal, who finished eighth in the league last season, would be hoping Pepe can find his form that made him one of the best attacking players in Europe when he was at Lille.
The winger’s ability to score goals as well as create chances for his teammates and his ability to play in a number of positions could help the Spanish club next season.
The club has officially confirmed the transfer and now the fans will be hoping they can see the attacker shine in La Liga.
Nicolas Pépé firma por dos temporadas, hasta junio de 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/T3FA2DqkEF
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 4, 2024
Pepe considered early retirement because of the criticism he faced at Arsenal.
In an interview with L’Equite, as quoted by the Daily Mail, he said:
‘It was almost harassment. I don’t look at social media much, but if my brother told me “this is what they said about you”, it would affect me unconsciously.
‘It also came from the media or from certain members of the club. They don’t realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performance.
‘The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal fans.’
Arsenal fans have now moved on from Pepe’s horror spell at the Emirates Stadium, but they too, would be hoping that the player can reignite his career away from the spotlight of the media and constant criticism.
The player is 29-years-old and he still has a long time left in his career to show everyone that he can perform at the top level.
The Gunners made a huge loss on their investment and their transfer business since then has shown they have acted smartly in the market.
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