Arsenal overpaid substantially when Nicolas Pepe swapped Lille for London in the summer of 2019, former England international Darren Bent told talkSPORT (27 April, 9.20am).
It took a while but, at long last, the Ivory Coast international is starting to make his mark in the red and white of Arsenal.
Pepe was the driving force behind the Europa League quarter-final victory over Slavia Prague, scoring with a gorgeous chip in the first leg before producing a Man of the Match display as Mikel Arteta’s side thrashed the Czech champions 4-0 away from home seven days later.
Unfortunately, performances like this have been few and far between over the last two years.
Pepe, remains about as predictable and consistent as Nicolas Cage’s film career, overhitting a simple pass one second before whipping a 25-yard stunner into the top corner the next.
He has improved of late but, for now, that £72 million price-tag continues to look nothing short of staggering.
And Bent believes that Arsenal were unwitting victims of daylight robbery when they forked out a massive fee for the then-Lille star (ESPN).
“The problem is recruitment. I think if Pepe had come for £30 or £40 million, you’d go; ‘That’s not bad that signing, for that kind of money’,” said the ex-Tottenham striker, a boyhood Arsenal fan.
“But the fact they got him for £70 million-plus, that’s the problem.”
For Bent, Arsenal should be in a position where they can spend substantial sums of money on individual players.
Pepe might have been something of a disappointment at the Emirates but at least his record-breaking arrival showcased a dash of ambition.
“For Arsenal to get back to where they want to be – and I mean challenging for Premier League titles – there needs to be real investment. You’ve got to be seen as having a go. You can’t hide the fact that they’re getting left behind by a number of teams,” Bent said.
“When you look at the team on paper, they’re a mid-table team.”
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