Nicolas Pépé and Arsenal in talks over contract termination

After spending a year on loan at OGC Nice, where his performances were some way off his previous highs, Ivorian international Nicolas Pépé was hoping to be given a second chance at Arsenal. However, it seems Mikel Arteta and the board have other ideas.

According to Foot Mercato, Arsenal and the former Lille winger are now in talks over the termination of his contract. A month after reportedly being placed on the list of players that needed to leave the club, it seems Arsenal have lost hope for any sort of offer, and are now willing to pay in order to part ways. 

After impressing at Angers, the winger went on to perform at a high level with Lille. Such were the heights of his 2018/19 season that top European sides, including Napoli, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and more were interested. However, with Lille asking for an extremely high fee, it was the Gunners who eventually broke their transfer record and parted ways with €80m in order to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.

However, his time in the red and white shirt has not met expectations. While showing promise in his first season, things only went downhill from then on. It was made very clear when Arteta arrived that he was not going to be part of the Spaniard’s plans. Willing to relaunch his career at a lower level, Pépé chose to come back to France and follow the host of Premier League players signing for INEOS owner OGC Nice.

Having been key in Les Aiglons‘ Conference League run, Pépé’s time at Nice was not a complete disappointment. However, the 8 goals and single assist he registered in nearly 30 matches did not convince Nice to keep him on the French Riviera.

According to Foot Mercato, ending his contract with Arsenal will enable the Ivorian to join Turkish side Beşiktaş, who were not prepared to help their Premier League counterparts recoup any money from the initial investment. 

GFFN | Tom Abadie