I paid the price for Arsenal’s record fee – Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe

Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe has opened up about the immense weight of expectation tied to his €80 million transfer to Arsenal in 2019.

The record fee, recommended by then-coach Unai Emery, set the stage for a turbulent stint in north London that ended in disappointment.

Now at Villarreal after spells with Trabzonspor, the 29-year-old Ivorian reflected on his struggles in an interview with The Athletic.

“When a club pays that much for you, the little details don’t matter,” Pepe began. “I was young; it was the first time I had left France to play abroad. I had to adapt in lots of ways, but people don’t see that. They only see what happens on the pitch.

“Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it,” he said before explaining how it was Emery, not Arsenal, that convinced him to move to England.

He revealed that Emery’s personal approach convinced him to join Arsenal. “He told me exactly what he was looking for, everything he would expect from me if I joined Arsenal…And although he’s not a great French speaker, he spoke to me in French for a whole hour. It was a small thing, but it impressed me. I felt his desire to work with me.”

However, Emery’s sacking and diminishing game time under Mikel Arteta affected his confidence. Fan criticism compounded the pressure, leaving Pepe questioning even his teammates’ opinions.

Pepe believes inflated transfer fees create unfair expectations, saying, “Clubs now think, ‘If we’re going to pay big for a player, we have to protect him.’ Arsenal protected me, but it was like it was the first time. Today, there are players who cost a lot more than me and are producing less than I did, but they don’t get criticised.”