{"id":290470,"date":"2023-09-08T17:34:28","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T17:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/?p=290470"},"modified":"2023-09-08T17:34:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T17:34:28","slug":"nicolas-pepes-expensive-marriage-with-arsenal-ends-in-move-to-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/soccer\/nicolas-pepes-expensive-marriage-with-arsenal-ends-in-move-to-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolas Pepe&apos;s expensive marriage with Arsenal ends in move to Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Nicolas Pepe&#8217;s expensive marriage with Arsenal ends in desperate divorce as the Gunners \u00a372m man seals exit from Emirates with \u00a33m knockdown move to Trabzonspor<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nicolas Pepe set to end Arsenal spell with move to Turkish side Trabzonspor\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Gunners outcast was not part of Mikel Arteta&#8217;s plan for the current season\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Pepe was Arsenal&#8217;s record signing when he moved for \u00a372m in 2019 from Lille\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nicolas Pepe and Arsenal. An expensive marriage that started all so well with moments of brilliance along the way, yet the love slowly burning out \u2014 a desperate protracted divorce the only option.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a mighty fall indeed from a \u00a372million coup under Unai Emery, to now being shipped off to Turkish side Trabzonspor for a mere \u00a33million.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the writing was on the wall in July. Mikel Arteta had already decided the Frenchman was not in his plans, so didn\u2019t need to be on the club\u2019s pre-season tour of the US.<\/p>\n<p>There was space in the 29-man squad for Auston Trusty (since been sold to Sheffield United) and Marquinhos (now on loan to Nantes) but not Pepe. His performances on loan at Nice last season were not to Arteta\u2019s fulfilment.<\/p>\n<p>In New York, Arteta said: \u2018He had a spell on loan and we wanted to get more from that loan spell. We\u2019ll have to see when he comes back. Have a chat with him, understand what his plans are and make a decision.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/08\/16\/75221413-12496747-image-a-1_1694186771091.jpg\" height=\"444\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Nicolas Pepe is set to end his Arsenal hell by signing for Turkish side Trabzonspor this week\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/08\/16\/75221525-12496747-image-a-2_1694186826081.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mikel Arteta has made it clear that Pepe was no longer in his plans while he was Gunners boss\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even on the club\u2019s return to London, Arteta had agreed the 28-year-old should not be with the first team training. It has meant the club in the past month have been frantically trying to find a new club for the winger.<\/p>\n<p>Turkish interest had rumbled on for weeks, and it is understood the player\u2019s salary was the main obstacle.<\/p>\n<p>At a reported \u00a3140,000-per-week, just two weeks ago the Gunners were contemplating ripping up his contract in a bid to get his salary off the wage bill.<\/p>\n<p>It is an expected ending to an Arsenal career which had its moments.<\/p>\n<p>Many a Gooner can still recall Pepe\u2019s home debut against Burnley in August 2019. Signs of much promise were there as he turned the Clarets\u2019 backline time and again, while causing a nuisance on the right flank with sheer pace.<\/p>\n<p>Much was of course expected. His fee is still Arsenal\u2019s second-highest record signing, only Declan Rice\u2019s \u00a3105million usurping it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/08\/16\/75221645-12496747-image-a-15_1694187445106.jpg\" height=\"471\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>There weren&#8217;t too many standout moments for Pepe in Arsenal shirt since signing in 2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/08\/16\/75221585-12496747-image-a-14_1694186969212.jpg\" height=\"410\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The rise of Bukayo Saka has seen Pepe struggle to get game time in the Gunners first team\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Crucially, though, he was an Emery signing, not Arteta\u2019s. Arteta had initially tried to persist with the 28-year-old, who was keen to adapt to the Spaniard\u2019s possession-based structure.<\/p>\n<p>Though this proved a frustration for him. The rise of Bukayo Saka had also made opportunities on the right wing redundant.<\/p>\n<p>Pepe does leave fans with some stellar performances such as the two free-kicks struck against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League to win 3-2, and his sublime curling effort against Brighton behind-closed-doors in June 2020.<\/p>\n<p>One can only hope the winger finds that spark once again.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/08\/02\/636x90_facebook_ad_sport.png\" width=\"636\" height=\"90\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12496747\/Nicolas-Pepes-expensive-marriage-Arsenal-ends-desperate-divorce-Gunners-72m-man-seals-exit-Emirates-3m-knockdown-Trabzonspor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicolas Pepe&#8217;s expensive marriage with Arsenal ends in desperate divorce as the Gunners \u00a372m man seals exit from Emirates with [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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