'Next Thierry Henry' Arsenal prediction ends in tatters as Mikel Arteta axes mega-money transfer
Besiktas are closing in on the signing of forgotten Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe after the summer transfer window closed last week. That's according toL'Equipe, who have reported that the Ivorian winger has had a change of heart over joining the Turkish club.
Pepe rejected a move to Besiktas earlier in the summer, but is now set to undergo a medical ahead of his proposed move to Turkey. The Gunners are set to recoup a small part of the huge £72million fee they paid for the Ivory Coast international back in 2019.
Pepe joined the Gunners with huge expectations after smashing the club's record transfer fee at the time and becoming part of the new team lined up by head coach Unai Emery. The 28-year-old registered 11 goal involvements in 31 appearances in his debut season, but following Mikel Arteta's arrival, he swiftly fell down the pecking order after underperforming.
Pepe's downfall led to the rise of Bukayo Saka's emergence in the senior team and the Ivorian's disasterous time at the Emirates Stadium is now set to come to an end. It has been some fall from grace for Pepe, who was compared to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry by Graeme Souness in February 2020 following a brilliant goal against Newcastle.
The Liverpool icon said on Sky Sports: «I think there is a real, real player in there. You think of their best ever player Thierry [Henry], he came here and didn't have a great first season, took some time, and I see Pepe being a star here, great feet, electric and still a baby.»
Souness' prediction could not have been more wrong as Pepe was loaned out to OGC Nice last term — with the French club opting not to make his loan move permanent at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Arteta had hailed Pepe's attitude upon his return to
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