Nicolas Pepe will wear the number 19 for Arsenal.
This is hardly a secret – but as shirt number stories are a long-time tradition of Arseblog News, we could hardly ignore it for our new record signing whose capture was made official earlier today.
Those of you of a certain vintage will remember Paul Hardcastle’s number 1 hit 19, which topped the UK charts in 1985.
Lyrics which span the ages and still resonate to this day:
N-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen
N-nineteen, nineteen
N-n-n-n-nineteen
(N-n-n-n-nineteen) nineteen
Of course the song was the about the average age of US combat soldiers during the Vietnam war, so it’s not particularly uplifting, but there you go.
The only other option we had was Steely Dan ‘Hey Nineteen’ which is a bit creepy when you read the lyrics, so the horrors of war won out.
Let’s hope that our number n-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen can cause the destruction of men full-backs in their prime, and help rejuvenate this Arsenal team next season.
Also, if he could get n-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen goals and n-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen assists, that’d be swell.
Over to you, NicPep.
current hierarchy and cynical when they said we have a good plan, in the context of the reported c. £40M budget.
They have pulled a rabbit for sure.
Saliba, Ceballos and to top it all Pepe, good plan. It looks like we are not done. I’m looking forward to the season actually!
The start of that sentence should be
Credit where it’s due, I was very doubtful about the current hierarchy and cynical when they said we have a good plan, in the context of the reported c. £40M budget.
The 40 million was a smokescreen – no one with a funtioning brain cell is going to lay down their cards at the bargaining table. Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in the world…
Easy to talk with hindsight. If this deal didn’t happen, we would still be asking where the rest of the 40M is.
I guess I was waiting for this transfer before I ordered my new jersey!…good things happens to thise who waits…?
Not necessarily. Its a short term gamble. They have also kicked the can down the road. There is inherent risk still. I think the Pepe deal was good although it may have also some merits to take on a Ziyech or Fekir for less exposure to subsequent summer budgets. Pepe is good but is he really that much better to warrant 45m+ more. Saliba I don’t see the need for. We already have Bielik and Mavropanos gestating. 27m for a player whose stats are over 19 games only and who if he should prove not as good as hyped will… Read more »
And if we don’t sign a strong Cback, it really isn’t.
I bet if someone gives you a birthday cake you moan that it was a waste of flour and it would’ve been better used in a loaf of bread
Lol, and then moan further that wheat was allergic all along anyway.
I like the model of our approach, mimicking Liverpool in a way which makes me happy but worried that we might move someone on at a later point for a mega transfer to fund our entire team like how the Suarez / Coutinho deals were done.
But that’s the way to go when we do not have the oil money or decide to blow it all like United are currently doing with no direction.
This is a refreshing change at Arsenal and it’s a moment not to complain.
I don’t understand why you’d prefer signing worse players for cheaper. Fekir has gone to mid-table Betis for an initial 20M (as confirmed by Lyon), which is supposedly the same initial payment we’ve made for Pepe. So signing him really wouldn’t have affected our remaining budget for this year. Instead we’ve signed a younger, more prolific, more dynamic player for the same initial outlay, which is surely a good thing, would you not agree?
Pepe moved for a similar initial fee.
Fekir has a history with injuries and there was a reason Liverpool pulled out and no other club than mid table Betis came calling.
But why is your point here.
I think I have already wasted enough time replying to what everyone already knows about Fekir and Pepe.
Make or break season for Emery, not just in terms of Arsenal but his own future at the big boys club. With this squad, he must have something to show for at the end of the season. Defence and certain managers are still a question mark on his CV.
Nobody from the club has ever stated we only had £40 million available, yet some tards read it on social media and take it as gospel. Then it’s £40 million this £40 million that….
It came from a very reputed journalist who gets almost everything right about Arsenal. SkySports also went with the same figure.
Wow, not too often you see Steely Dan references these days. What a great band.
A band with consistently dark lyrics, btw, especially for their time.
Phil Collins does better though.
I had the worth wisdom tooth removal in Rome a few weeks back, to a (dubiously-entitled) soundtrack of the Best Of Phil Collins. Knowing how much Arseblog himself would have been wounded by the experience, helped alleviate some of my pain. That said, the alleviation was long wearing off when we were three hours in…
Not always the greatest singing, but certainly high quality instrumentation.
Yeah, I kind of grew up listening to them thanks to my parents, so it never really bothered me, but agree their strengths were in their complex songwriting and technical skill.
I guess you can’t buy a thrill anymore eh?
It would be even better if Number 8 was available for him.
Ceballos took it I know but kind of odd he took it cause he is only gonna be here this season probably.
I think Pepe always wears 19, it seems to be his number.
Prime number for a prime player
Cannot have a winger wearing no8 are you mad
What was Ljungberg?
A winger/striker in 8, no thank you.
Erm. Ian Wright.
Yeah like 8 and 14 for forwards.. what kind of club would have those lousy numbers as forwards? No one is going to score wearing those.
Gallas at No.10? Torreira? We don’t give a fish’s tit about numbers at the Arsenal.
So he’s going to score against all other 19 teams in the league you say..
I’ve always found the shirt number obsession ridiculous, but…
If Kos leaves can Torreira go to 6 and Pepe go to 11?
Not that I’m obsessed of course.
*cough* Tierney 2 *cough*
But Hector is 2! Tierney 3?
I read (IN A HISTORY BOOK, THAT IS HISTORY) that the numbers originally went was 1-11 the home team and 12-22 the away team. Sooo if you want to be a traditionalist he can wear 11 for home games and 22 for away games.
Yeah those were the days!
I remember the player’s number identified their pitch position but of course with all of this swapping wings 5 times in a game and flying full backs being further up the field than the designated strikers that theory is consigned to history!
Who cares what number they have as long as they perform well and start winning competitions again?
haha exactly my thought. did anyone had the 19 after santi?
Leno
ok i’ll be happy if he can make the same impact as my 2 other favourite no. 19s in the last 20 years after the Brazilian invisible wall and the twinkly 2-footed magician.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmORjFyming
1. The player names on the back of the shirts are too small.
2. This is a tremendous signing and it finally seems like we may have a bit of ‘Dein’ like business acumen back in the Exec.
Too small if your name is Pepe what about if you are called Sokratis Papastathopoulos?
You would need a 60 inch chest to make a shirt wide enough to make the lettering larger!
The Long Blondes – Once and Never Again has a lot of 19s in it also.
But only Arsenal has a Nicolas Pepe.
Pepe got his classic number, the other number 19 dribbler went well last time.
Vacant number 3 for Tierney now. Universe demands it.
Still play the shit out of that track.
“No-one saw me coming.
“No problem.
“I always believed.
“Kept working,”
“Found my killer instinct.
“Relentless? Yes.
Patient? Always.
“Quick? You’ll see.
“I am Nico. I am here.”
Nicolas Pepe 01.08.2019
Isn’t Steely Dan named after a sex toy?
Vert disappointed noe. Phil Lynott, Antoine? Nineteen?
Ahh.. they were named after a sex toy that featured in a book.
Weird…
Yeah. A lot og weird typos there …so:
Disappointed *noe*. And: Antoine: *anyone*. Obviously.
Or maybe not.
Just can’t her it right. Please ignore.
Best motivational quotes of the year series:
“When Arsenal knock on a players door, it is a different knock than other clubs.”
Do we knock along to the tune “She wore a yellow ribbon”?
We have our PepeAubameyangLacasette (PAL)
Best motivational quotes of the year series:
“Really, I feel like I have a lot of ammunition when I talk with players…”
Raul Sanllehi
19 goals next season and 19 assists should not be too much to ask for. We have a great potential All African strike force with iwobi, Auba and Pepe. As much as we have been charitable at the back, we can many times be so up front as well. We scored a heap of goals but there have been matches that we have been wanton and come up with nought. So there is plenty of room for improvement up top and there is a corresponding effect that if we can punish teams more effectively and establish control in a game,… Read more »
19 by Old 97s, Dallas’ finest! “I was only 19, Not the age of reason” COYG
Phil Lynott – Nineteen anyone?
https://youtu.be/Qf7yCmnEXW0
Saw the behind the scenes on Arsenal TV.
He goes into the treatment room on tour and there is cebellos already!
And Mavropanos. Seems he never left that treatment room.:D
Well, we must not forget The Great Irishman’s «Nineteen»!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf7yCmnEXW0
The number 19 refers to his first football club FC Solitaires Paris Est in the 19th district of Paris.