Nicolas Pepe is a player Arsenal regrets signing not because he is not talented but because his mindset is wrong, reckons journalist Jonathan Johnson.
The Ivorian moved to Arsenal in 2019 as one of the top attackers in Europe after a wonderful season on the books of Lille.
The Gunners broke their transfer record with the purchase, but Pepe struggled at the Emirates and still isn’t doing well on loan at Nice this season.
He is set to depart the club and Johnson writes in his column on Caughtoffside:
“I can’t say with any certainty that there was anything like an internal enquiry about over-spending on the player, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did feel a bit short-changed. There’s no doubt Pepe had his problems at Arsenal, and I think it’s clear that that’s more down to mentality than ability.
“He’s a very talented footballer, but if you don’t take your development seriously and take care of yourself in the correct way day after day, then it’s very difficult, especially at a club like Arsenal, to give them what they need, so I think that’s why they feel very let down by that transfer.
“I think they’d say, with hindsight, there was no problem with identifying the talent with Pepe, but it was perhaps a lack of due diligence done on his personality.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Adding Pepe to our squad was a huge mistake that we certainly cannot repeat and we must cut our losses on him this summer.
The people who added the Ivorian to our group have mostly left the club and our new recruitment system has worked wonders so far.
This means we are likely to avoid making such a silly mistake again in the future when we shop for new players.
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