Former Arsenal forward, Nicolas Pepe joins Villarreal on two-year contract

Former Arsenal record signing, Nicolas Pepe has joined Spanish side Villarreal on a two-year contract after leaving Turkish club Trabzonspor.

A club statement read: “Villarreal CF have reached an agreement with Nicolas Pépé for the Franco-Ivorian footballer to play in yellow for the next two seasons, until June 30, 2026.

“The Submarine’s skilful new player, who has his dominant left foot, usually plays on the right flank of the attack, although he can also play in any of the team’s offensive positions. Fast, unbalancing in one-on-one situations and with a powerful shot. Pure spectacle for the Submarine. The player will join the yellow team immediately and tomorrow Monday he will train with the rest of the squad at the Ciudad Deportiva (10:00 am).”

The 29-year-old, who joined the Gunners for a then club-record fee of £72million from Lille in 2019, spent four years at the Emirates, netting 27 goals in 112 appearances before his contract was terminated last summer. After a loan spell at Nice during the 2022/23 season, he moved to Trabzonspor on a free transfer in September.

Pepe scored six goals and added three assists in 23 matches during his time in Turkey before leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract back in June. And having spent a couple of weeks as a free agent, Pepe has now found himself a new club with Villarreal, who finished eighth in the Spanish top tier last season.

The winger, who joined the Gunners under Unai Emery, had a challenging debut campaign at the Emirates, scoring only five goals and adding six assists in 31 Premier League appearances. His fortunes changed when Mikel Arteta took over, with Pepe shining in his second season.

The Ivorian netted 16 times and provided five assists in all competitions for the Gunners during the 2020/21 season, becoming the club’s second-top scorer behind Alexandre Lacazette (17). Despite this, he found himself out of favour and was given fewer first-team opportunities in the subsequent campaign.

Reflecting on his time at Arsenal and the weight his price tag – having arrived as their record signing – had on his shoulders, Pepe told BBC Sport: “It wasn’t easy at all. And the fans weren’t happy with how I was performing.

“When I first joined, the fans weren’t really judging my performances, they were judging the price tag. But I think I did some great things while at Arsenal. I don’t regret my time there. But my transfer fee to the club was the highest one they’d signed, so they expected me to score in each match.”

Pepe also said that falling out of favour under Arteta was a ‘kind of trauma’ and revealed it made him consider quitting football altogether. “At Arsenal, I had suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been taken away from me, I had a distaste for football,” Pepe told L’Equipe.

“By no longer playing, I wondered why I was doing this job. I doubted to the point that I thought about stopping everything.

“I wondered how they could have attacked me so much. People went so far as to call me the biggest flop in the history of the Premier League!

“I didn’t ask for €80m to be spent on me. At this amount, people don’t care where you come from, they want you to perform directly.

France-born Pepe moved to the Gunners from Lille for £72 million (US$92 million) in 2019 and remained the club’s most expensive purchase until last summer when Declan Rice arrived from West Ham for £105 million.

“Villarreal CF have reached an agreement with Nicolas Pepe for the French-Ivorian player to play in yellow for the next two seasons, until 30th June 2026,” read a statement on Villarreal’s website, according to PA Media.