Arsenal have had no end of issues with Nicholas Pepe.
Well, not as a professional, because the Ivory Coast international doesn’t seem a particularly difficult player in that sense.
But for someone who cost Arsenal £72 million three years ago, he hasn’t delivered.
The 27-year-old has scored 16 goals and set up nine in 80 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, which isn’t a horrible return.
But when you’re a club-record signing, it simply isn’t good enough and the player has been linked with a departure from the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Two years before Arsenal signed Pepe, they tried to sign another winger – and for a lot more money.
According to Sky Sports, the North Londoners, then under Arsene Wenger, lodged £92 million for Thomas Lemar.
A move to Arsenal never materialised and the French attacker wound up joining Atletico Madrid from Monaco.
However, five years on, Lemar is only six months away from leaving the Spanish giants on a Bosman.
According to Marca, the 26-year-old has rejected Atletico’s latest attempt to keep him, with the report claiming he’ll be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign outfits from next January.
Arsenal won’t be going back for the player, even if he’s free, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
He hasn’t been much better for Diego Simeone than Pepe has been for the North Londoners, scoring six goals and setting up 11 in his last 71 appearances across all competitions.
So maybe, just maybe, Wenger got lucky back in 2017 when his offer was rebuffed.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
