Arsenal have FINALLY confirmed the signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille in a £72 million deal that breaks the club’s transfer record.
The exciting Ivory Coast international, 24, moves to the Emirates following a stellar season in France that included 12 assists and 23 goals in 41 appearances.
The Gunners were first linked with a move for Pepe in November when it became clear Danny Welbeck would miss the rest of the season.
Nothing ever came of our interest when the transfer window opened in January and his continued good form for Lille, who finished second in Ligue 1, coupled with our failure to qualify for the Champions League appeared to take him out of our price bracket.
Just a few weeks ago, it was reported we’d made an €80m bid, but that was played down – now it seems as if the club were trying to keep things under wraps.
That we’ve persuaded Pepe to move to London despite interest from several other top European clubs, some of whom could offer Champions League football, and found a way to structure the deal over the next five years is a solid effort on the part of Raul Sanllehi and the recruitment team.
Welcome to the Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe.
Nicolas Pepe career stats
Lille
Games: 79
Goals: 37
Assists: 17
Yellow cards: 6
Red cards: 0
Angers
Games: 47
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Yellow cards: 4
Red cards: 0
Orleans
Games: 30
Goals: 7
Assists: 2
Yellow cards: 3
Red cards: 0
Ivory Coast
Games: 13
Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Yellow cards: 0
Red cards: 0
Mad season 2019/20 incoming!!!
Yep, changes the whole feel of things. COYG!
Best front three in the world.
COYG!
Incredibly, this is pretty close to true. There is that annoying Suarez-Griezmann, Messi group, and I think Liverpool supporters would also argue, but it is pretty amazing that we can make a statement like that with genuine belief.
I think we need to calm down. Let’s not forget we haven’t signed any defender’s. That was the main priority. As things stand we still need to score three to guarantee the points.!!!!!
F*ck defending.
In that case f*ck any chance of finishing in a Champions League spot.
Best form of defence is attack right?
it’s probably the most exciting bit of transfer news ever in terms of the element of surprise. Just a week ago the future looked so bleak and without hope…i was preparing myself to one more year of shit defending and hopeless capitulation to the likes of Mugsmashers and citeh…and just out of nowhere….Nicholas F***ing Pepe!…nothing could make me upset anymore! (Untill I see another Mustafi clanger againat Newcastlebof course!)
Well, you should still prepare yourself for all those things, let’s be honest here.
The future will remain bleak as long as Kroenke owns the club.
Get in son!
Yes! A couple of weeks ago it felt like there was nothing but doom and gloom around the club. How things change. Not saying all is perfect but I feel a lot more positives about next season and going forward.
So glad they got this one done. It’s going to be madness now if they are to et a Central defender in with the time left in the window.
Hey Blogsey, any legs in the Daniele Rugani rumor?
I can’t help but remember blogs saying it’s a dream when the rumors surfaced last week ?DREAMS COME TRUE, in arsenal too
Brilliant news. Surprised to see so many posts with “now just get Tierney and a CB” – when all the posts regarding the “breakdown” in negotiations said “we don’t need him anyway, and he’s knackered and not worth the money”. Perhaps this kind of news brings out the yes-men, but not signing Tierney brings out the naysayers 🙂
Either way, if we can make this click, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Unlike what we would have been if you’d asked me a week ago, where I was just wishing for the season to be over.
Got to hand it to em
Yep. Sanllehi does the equivalent of pulling a very good and expensive rabbit, from a hat.
Yep, I’m really pleasantly surprised and encouraged
Arse!
Now that’s what I call an Arsenal. Some proper firepower!
Didn’t see this coming. I’m surprised.
Same here, never heard a thing about this guy and before anyone questions my footballing knowledge, I’ve looked solidly on Champ Manager ‘98s database all afternoon and found nothing!
It was called CM2 or CM3 back then?
Welcome to the BEST club in the world
Hoorah !
Really? What a surprise! Never heard even a whisper of this ?
Good one Raul ol’ chap. Thanks Josh, I’m truly excited ?
Statement.
Quite a statement. If we get Tierney (or any other good LB), and replace Koscielny adequately (I’ve been reading about Rugani on a two year loan), that would be nailed on CL football at the Emirates next season.
We’d be stronger than Hazardless Chelsea certainly.
Really excited for the season now despite all our defensive woes. If we can manage to get Tierney or a centre half then I think we can significantly raise our expectations about what this team can do.
‘Raul Sanllehi’ has just done a hilarious interview about this summer’s transfer market in Spanish (subtitled). If you haven’t seen it you will cry laughing… If you have, you will cry laughing again. https://twitter.com/detir_/status/1155417553721802753?s=12
I cried laughing ?
haha the version of that video about Apple’s dumb-ass dongles is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen
That is hilarious
That is pure genius!
Class
Brilliant! ????
Am still crying of laughter as I type.. Poor sp*rs
Who can thumb that down.
Dead inside.
This is fucking gold ))
It’s 0830 in Los Angeles. Top work guys, top work.
YEEEEEEEEEES. SO EXCITED. Being as always I needed to wait till it was official so now I’m about to burst!!
Pepe has got arsenal DNA, it’s in his jeans
Used to have a pair when i was younger. Clearly the person who thumbed you down was born this century and thought your grammar was poor. 🙂
arsenedoneamadness.jpeg
Quelle suprise
Good one. Next stop some offloading and defenders.
Je Suis nico
Tierney and CB next!!!
Last season was the dress rehearsal, this season is the new dawn!
Credit where its due. The club officials have pulled off a blinder here. Lifts so much of the doom and gloom. I believe it makes a real statement,not only to the fans and the premier league in general but also to our own players. We can compete, we will sign the best and we expect those players at the club to raise thier game and take us to the next level.
Voldermort, I told you we were gonna save some humble pie for you
Still can’t believe we pulled it off
You bake it kaius and i will eat it !
Watch his YouTube compilations, he only scores goals. What we need is a wide man who can score 20 goals AND fill in at center back, maybe even take some of the Europa games in goal.
What the faahk!?
What is your problem?
He’s kidding!
I think this is such a huge statement for the club considering the situation we’re in.
It signals that Arsenal are still a massive name and not prepared to meekly fade into mid-table mediocrity.
He looks ready made for us and I love his tenacity and can’t wait to see him tearing up that right wing with Hector.
But just as a statement the signing can’t be overlooked I think. A huge lift for fans and players too I’d imagine.
This is awesome news!!
May Gervinho bless you spell here.
Jokes aside, that’s we’ve been waiting for!
#COYG
The excitement of that first counter attack. Oh boy!
Pepe and Auba, holy smoke that’s fast.
If you enjoy blazing fast strikers with the skills to match, it’s gonna be a lot of fun! REALLY looking forward to it!!
There is no way, no how Auba and Laca didn’t take this man out to dinner and sell him on the Arsenal project. Big thanks to Agent Kolo Toure as well who was an assistant coach for Cote D’Ivoire at AFCON and who Pepe says he spoke to before deciding.
Great work all round lads
Kroenke in?
Shuushhhh not until we get a good defender…?
We bought Pepe with Arsenal cash, not Kroenke cash. And Arsenal cash is a synonym for fan-driven cash. We bought Pepe so it should be Arsenal fans in if anything.
So excited for this season oh my word!!
And yet Kroenke had to sanction to sale. Learn to give credit when it’s due when you love dishing out criticism.
I still like the idea of it being Arsenal cash better. It is 100% true, after all. Self sustaining model and whatnot.
Just Tierney, a solid centre half and a defensive coach now needed! Still, we’ve got until Thursday……
Tierney and a centre back and this will be the best transfer window ever from an Arsenal point of view. That is a crazy front line, and this might just give Ozil a lift also when he realizes who he has in front of him. Very impressed!
I wonder how Zaha is going to feel when he realizes that Crystal Palaces crazy high fee kept him from joining Arsenal while his Ivory Coast teamate was purchased instead. Oh well good for us!
Hats off to all involved. This could end up looking like a good summer after all.
Excellent. Feeling much more positive now. If we bring in a centre back and Tierney that would complete the business, although I have concerns it’ll be one or the other. Fingers crossed it’s both. Decent window so far!
Pretty amazing and exciting season ahead, now please get Tierney and maybe a swap deal for Koscielny and any CB, or even Cahill? Could be helpful till we get Saliba next year.
Welcome to the Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe.
Kaa booyahhhhhh!
Amaaaaaaazing. Auba, Laca, Pepe… That’s a strong front line right there, pal!
I’m greedy for a few more additions to the back line though.
Great news! Though if you told me in May that August would arrive and we wouldn’t have improved the defense (for this season) at all yet, I’d have thought you were talking shit. So curious about how the first few pre-Holding/Bellerin weeks are going to go, because it feels like anybody can score on us, any time they want; our defense is such shit right now, and getting shittier with Kos leaving. We’ve got multiple world class attackers and then AMN, Jenks, Sokratis, Chambers, Mustafi, Monreal, and Kolasinac as defenders! It’s insanely imbalanced. Why are defenders so much harder to… Read more »
Defenders are next…glass half full here ?
Just wow. Not in a million years did I think we would be making this kind of signing in Thisbe transfer window. A real show of ambition from the club! Buzzing.
Fucking great news! I hit the refresh button more than 1 million times today. If we operate with Auba on the left Pepe on the right and Alex in centre it looks like a lethal triplet. Maybe we can achieve top4
Mesut in the centre
Sorry thought you were talking about putting Alex iwobi in att mid. My bad
Who?
If it hadnt have happened today I’d have had another sleepless night. I think we’ll get Tierney now and if Rugani and Khedira come too……..Jeez.
PS. Not that I know anything about Rugani but he must be an improvement on the Mustafi
What.A.Frontline. ❤️
Arsenal’s weakest spot is defense. On the other hand, we were so close in May – a couple of goals in the right matches would have nailed top four, even with unchanged clumsiness in defense.
Finally a proper proper winger we have. As much as I loved our wengerball but playing no 10 on wings just can’t cut in today’s football. No more of likes of ozil, Mikhi, iwobi etc playing on wings. This signing gives us new dynamic and proper cover to full backs. With Nelson and other young wingers in our rank. Finally auba and laca would burst on scene. With that been said I hope Mikhi gets his form back when he would be deployed at no 10 now. Now get some Celtic lad in n certain juv. Guy. Let attack on… Read more »
Here here ?
You mean “hear hear” no?
Yes, overexcited, I take the thumbs down for that no problem ?
Yay! I have been refreshing the page every 20 minutes. When finally the page took more than 10 seconds to load, I realized that the signing was confirmed before it finished loading:)
I guess someone at Arsenal must have read your Fat Tony article this morning.
Excited to see him play against likes of Liverpool and Tottenham in the first month of PL.
What a dream signing for Arsenal. COYG
Hopefully some fans can now get off Emery’s back, I genuinely feel he’s a big part of this happening. Last season I was happy to give him the benefit of the doubt because he inherited some major dross but more importantly, it would be hard to implement his philosophy etc. I know his tactics weren’t always spot on but you work with what you are given. But this season is all on him, he’s got the changes he wants. He’s prioritised a winger and got one, he got a new midfield general and if we enter the season without a… Read more »
This is going to be fun!
Not another Gervinho i hope. Im really happy we finally have him! COYG
I’m well chuffed I am
A great signing, what does blogs and co think of the apparent rumour that we’re trying to sign Daniele Rugani on a 2 year loan?