£72m Arsenal flop lifts lid on 'tense' relationship with Mikel Arteta

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Nicolas Pepe has opened up on his ‘tense and frustrating’ relationship with Mikel Arteta during his ill-fated spell at Arsenal.

Unai Emery made Pepe Arsenal’s record signing in 2019, buying him from Lille for £72million.

Having been a prolific goal-scorer and creator in France, it was thought that the winger would fire the Gunners back to glory.

He made an okay start, notably scoring in Arteta’s first win as manager and lifting the FA Cup in his first season, before hitting double figures in the Premier League in his sophomore campaign.

But the Ivory Coast international ultimately failed to live up to his price tag and it soon became clear he did not suit Arteta’s tactics, with his contract eventually terminated in 2023.

Asked about his time under the Arsenal manager in an interview with The Athletic, Pepe, who now plays for Villarreal, gave a telling answer.

‘With Arteta, it wasn't… well, it was good at the start,’ the 29-year-old said, indicating things were not great between the pair.

‘After that, the confidence wasn't really there. I got less and less game time, so there was some frustration.

‘I'm not someone who likes being on the bench every week without justification or explanation. So yeah, that's something that created some tension.’

Pepe ended his Arsenal career with 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances and insists he has ‘good memories’ from the Emirates.

But he added that his record transfer, which has since been surpassed by Declan Rice, was a burden and lead to overly harsh criticism, especially from fans.

‘It was severe and unjust. I saw a lot of nasty comments. When you see what people think of you, it affects you and your family, whether you like it or not.

‘I was young; it was the first time I had left France to play abroad. I had to adapt in lots of ways, but people don't see that. They only see what happens on the pitch.

‘Automatically, the first player to be criticised is the one that cost a lot of money. You have to be getting goals and assists, goals and assists.

‘People expected 30, 35, 40 goals a season. But it was only [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it.’

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