Former Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe admits he considered retiring after the “trauma” of not being able to justify the huge price he paid
Former Arsenal striker Nicolas Pepe has revealed that the “trauma” of his time in north London almost led to him quitting football.
He Ivory Coast International He joined the Gunners from Lilac in 2019 for a club-record fee of £72m but struggled to meet expectations.
Arsenal shelled out the huge sum for Pepe after he registered 22 goals and 11 assists in the 2018/19 Ligue 1 season, second only to the former Paris Saint Germain star Kylian Mbappé.
However, his success in France failed to translate to the top flight of English football, with the 29-year-old scoring just 27 times in 112 appearances in all competitions.
The Gunners eventually terminate Pepe's contract in September 2023, and the winger will spend his final year registered at the club on loan in Nice.
The French-born player was heavily criticised for his performances while at Arsenal, which he admitted took its toll on him.
Reflecting on his time at the Emirates in a recent interview with a French media outlet The teamPepe said: “At Arsenal I suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been taken away from me.
“I felt disgusted by the game. I didn't play anymore and I wondered why I was doing this job.
“I doubted myself so much that I thought about quitting. I wondered how people could be so hard on me. I was even called the biggest failure in the history of the Premier League.”
The winger said his high price tag created unrealistic expectations for him and his abilities, as he explained: “I hadn't asked Arsenal to pay £72m for me.
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“With such a high salary, people don't care what level you are: they just want you to perform immediately.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that it's mostly statistics. There are players who score 25 goals a season, but that's not many and I'm not even number nine.
“I wasn't going to take the Premier League by storm like that. But that's what brought me this wave of criticism.”
Pepe felt this had a negative impact on his ability to perform in North London as he detailed the harsh treatment that led him to consider a future away from football.
She said: “It was almost bullying. I don't look at social media much, but if my brother said to me, 'This is what they said about you,' it would affect me subconsciously.”
“It also comes from the media or some members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect mental state, family and performance.
“The only people who always supported me were the Arsenal fans.”
The former Lille star is currently a free agent after deciding not to renew his one-year contract with the Turkish side. Trabzonsporwhich he joined after terminating his contract with Arsenal.
And despite rumours of interest from Saudi Arabia, Pepe admitted he is keen to continue proving his worth in European football.
The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations winner concluded by saying: “I still want to prove that I can do something. I'm not done with Europe or football.”
