Nicolas Pepe has spoken out about his time at Arsenal after his contract was terminated last week.
The Ivorian winger joined the Gunners for a club-record fee of £72 million in 2019, but he failed to live up to expectations and was loaned out to OGC Nice last season.
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Pepe has now signed a one-year deal with Turkish club Trabzonspor and has spoken about his time in North London.
He said that he was disappointed with how things turned out, but that he is now looking forward to a new challenge.
“My first season at Arsenal went well,” Pepe said in an interview with Milliyet.
“Maybe the first season benefited me a lot, it challenged me a little mentally. We achieved success in this first season and won trophies.
“The second season was much better in terms of adaptation and statistics, I performed better, but the third season was a bit complicated. I had to respect the coach’s choice throughout this season.”
“Not having played is a complicated and difficult enough situation for a player. In the fourth season, I was loaned. It went well in the beginning and until mid-season. I was injured in the middle of this season – this injury then started to complicate things.”
Pepe also said that he had a he is now ready to start a new chapter in his career with Trabzonspor and explained why he joined.
“We made a plan with the manager, I can play in several positions in attack, we will work out where I fit into the team but the main thing to do now is to work hard and stay focused. I can’t wait to start playing,” he said.
“Trabzonspor has a family atmosphere, we have big goals here. Just two years ago we was champions and want to return to that level and challenge for the title.”
“I could not turn down this offer from Trabzonspor after talking with the vice-president.
“He convinced me with his project here. There will be a lot of competition for a playing spot but I will fight for my place and make the fans proud.”
Pepe was a highly-rated player when he joined Arsenal, but he struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
He was often criticized for his lack of end product and his decision-making. He was also affected by injuries during his time at the club.
Pepe is now hoping to revive his career at Trabzonspor and he will be looking to prove his doubters wrong.
