Viktor Gyokeres wasn’t the only player being spoken about as Arsenal returned to the Emirates in pre-season.
In the penultimate non-competitive game of pre-season, Arsenal welcomed Villarreal to the Emirates.
The fixture allowed some of Mikel Arteta’s new signings to get a taste of the Emirates for the first time, with Christian Norgaard and Gyokeres in the line-up.
It was also a welcome return for two former Gunners, as Nicolas Pepe and Denis Suarez were named in Villarreal’s squad.
Though it was nice to see some familiar faces, the pleasantries didn’t last too long, as Pepe silenced the Emirates by scoring on his return.
Arsenal fans react as Nicolas Pepe scores at the Emirates
Pepe is still the second most expensive signing in Arsenal’s history.
The Gunners paid £72m for the winger back in 2019, an eye-watering fee for a player who never truly adapted to life in the Premier League.
Arsenal fans will know that Pepe is capable of causing chaos on the flanks, which he did early into the contest against his former side, scoring later in the half.
As the Ivorian finished a messy passage of play from close range, fans erupted on social media.
“It had to be him,” one fan said, as Arsenal supporters on X all admitted that the 30-year-old’s goal was inevitable.
“Soon as I saw Pépé in that Villarreal lineup I knew for a fact he was scoring.”
“Welllll you knew that was gunna happen.”
“Pepe scoring against us. It was written in the stars.”
David Raya was furious with his defenders as Villarreal benefited from the ball ricocheting around the box, an untidy sequence that Pepe ended with a goal.
After the former Arsenal man’s goal, one fan said, “In that entire sequence, IT HAD TO BE PEPE TO SCORE.”
Some even found it unbelievable, “Ain’t no way he scored.”
Others found the positives in the goal, “At least it wasn’t a banger.”
Pepe had fans talking on X, some not overthinking the pre-season goal and some preparing for a ‘meltdown’.
“Here comes the meltdown as Pepe just scored.”
“Nicolas Pepe coming back to haunt us, it’s looking rough boys.”
How many goals did Nicolas Pepe score at Arsenal?
Pepe gets a lot of disrespect for his time at Arsenal, but when comparing the Ivorian to some of the luxury signings in the Premier League today, he really wasn’t as bad as is communicated.
In 112 appearances for Arsenal, Pepe scored 27 goals as well as recorded 21 assists.
Many players today would be delighted with 48 goal contributions, with his highest scoring Premier League season being the 10 goals he scored in 2020/21.
Pepe returned to the Emirates and punished his former employers, but fans will be thankful it’s pre-season.
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