I Don’t Regret Joining Arsenal – Pepe

Ex-Arsenal forward, Nicolas Pepe has come out to defend Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk and Manchester United’s Antony who have failed to live up to their price tags at both clubs. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, if Arsenal had bought him for £20m as opposed to the £72m they paid Lille for his services years ago, his EPL career would have definitely been different, but fans just kept comparing his performances to his pricetag throughout his stay in England.

Pepe added that because Mudryk and Antony are not performing at their best right now does not mean they are bad players.

His words, “It wasn’t easy at all. And the fans weren’t happy with how I was performing. When I first joined, the fans weren’t really judging my performances, they were judging the price tag. But I think I did some great things while at Arsenal. I don’t regret my time there. But my transfer fee to the club was the highest one they’d signed, so they expected me to score in each match.

If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it’d be different. It’s not the player’s fault. They don’t ask for £100m or £90m. But that’s how it is in the football world and it’s something that people can’t understand. There are also players like [Mykhailo] Mudryk and Antony who don’t perform at their best all the time, and yet they’re not bad players.”

On Arteta, “They helped me when leaving, which wasn’t easy because I was injured, so my recovery wasn’t easy… they helped me find a club quickly. So, I definitely left the club on good terms.

I have always had a great relationship with Arteta. It’s just that he didn’t have full confidence in me, which is a shame. He put together a winning team, and sadly, I wasn’t in that player turnover. But he’s someone I respect, and I know he respects me too. And I wish him all the best.

With the pressure I went through at Arsenal, I’m in a pretty good headspace now. It’s something I no longer pay attention to because when you get a lot of criticism, you develop thick skin. So, now I’m prepared for any eventuality. I feel like I’m in a great headspace.”