Having scored the consolation goal for the Ivory Coast in their 2-1 defeat to France at Olympique Marseille’s Stade Velodrome on Friday, Nicolas Pepe has admitted he is considering the possibility of leaving Arsenal this summer.
“I am focused on how well we do until the end of the season and the club’s target, which is getting into the Champions League. Then we will see what happens,” Pepe said in a press conference after the match.
“When a team is winning it is hard for a coach to make changes. Mikel Arteta has explained that to me and the coach knows what I think and how hard I’m working. It has been a tough season for me. Of course, it is frustrating not to play but I have to respect the coach’s decision.
“I have improved since coming to London and English football is totally different from French football, particularly the intensity in the matches and I had to adapt physically and make that transition which I feel I have done.”
Pepe is currently behind Bukayo Saka in the pecking order under Mikel Arteta despite still being Arsenal’s most expensive signing ever since he arrived from LOSC Lille in 2019 for a reported fee of €80 million, and the amazing progress of the 20-year-old England international doesn’t bode well for the Ivorian who has only started five Premier League matches this season.
In all competitions, Pepe has 107 appearances for Arsenal in total, along with 27 goals and 20 assists – a relatively modest output spread over two and a half years.
