EPL: It’s not Pepe’s fault Arsenal paid £72m – Arteta

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has said it is not Nicolas Pepe’s fault that the club paid £72million for him.

Pepe became the Gunners’ record signing in 2019 when he arrived from Lille.

He has now agreed a short-term contract with Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.

The Ivorian winger spent last season on loan with Nice in Ligue 1, before returning to north London earlier this summer.

Arteta, speaking for the first time since the move, said: “I wasn’t involved in the process of that deal. What I can say about him as a person is he’s a phenomenal boy. He tried really hard. He did his best.

“It’s not his fault the amount of money we paid. When things are not working you have to move on. There’s no point trying when it’s not working.

“That decision has been made and it’s to the benefit of all parties.

“There are moments for players and not only for him, Rob [Holding] leaving and all the other ones.

“You have an emotional attachment to them. You have tried to get the best out of them but there are periods. Sometimes it’s not about the will of the player but a player that plays in his position as well that does so well. There are many factors.

“We wish all of them the best and hopefully they can fulfill their dreams somewhere else,” Arteta said.