Nicolas Pepe failed to achieve his full potential after his record move to Arsenal in 2019, and he is currently a free agent.
Pepe joined in the summer of 2019 under Unai Emery for a club-record fee, following a stunning campaign at Ligue 1 side Lille.
Although he initially showed his talent, as he caused nightmares for Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk on his full Premier League debut, chaos around Emery’s time at the club, and inconsistent form meant he never truly got going at the Emirates.
Pepe recently stated that the pressure of his fee led to his downfall at Arsenal, and even named Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk and Manchester United attacker Antony as examples of the same thing happening to them.
Now that Pepe has made these comparisons, Arsenal fans have launched a staunch defence of Pepe. Although he has been labelled a flop, it is argued that he still contributed a lot more than what Mudryk and Antony have done in the Premier League so far.
Arsenal fans claim Nicolas Pepe was better value than Mykhaylo Mudryk and Antony
Taking to X, fans claimed that Pepe was harshly criticised given his contributions when given a chance at Arsenal, and that the Ivorian was much better than Mudryk or Antony.
“Pepe was actually good for us compared to the likes of Sancho Mudryk and etc. he just wasn’t worth the fee of £72 million and he came at the worst time possible,” one fan posted.
“He was a product of a bad time and I feel bad for him. He was arsenals record signing, he arrived, had a way better first season than Mudryk and Antony, but we were in our “banter” era, shortly after that? Saka emerged and there was no going back. Poor guy,” another stated.
“In Pepe’s first season he had 11 G/A’s in the prem. Antony and Mudryk combined for 8 G/A’s in their first season,” he then replied.
“Absolute class man and very well said. I wish it ended different but it was really right place wrong time for him. I’ve got full belief in his ability and I hope he can get back somewhere and playing well again,” another fan stated of Pepe.
“Pepe is 100x the player Antony is. He outshines Sancho too if we judge him by his time at United,” one fan claimed.
“Mudryk and Antony would be club legends if they produced half of Pepe’s numbers,” another posted.
“They said Pepe was the biggest flop in prem history. Antony has to take that title now!” A fan defiantly claimed.
Nicolas Pepe was a much better signing than Mudryk or Antony
Pepe cost less than Mudryk and Antony and also arrived with more pedigree, having excelled in a top-five league.
Mudryk was coveted by Mikel Arteta before his move to Chelsea, where he has since struggled, whilst Antony was a surprise addition as he followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax to Manchester United.
Pepe ended his Arsenal career with 48 goals and assists in 112 games. By comparison, Mudryk has notched up 11 in 58 games for Chelsea, and Antony has managed just 16 in 82 appearances for Man United.
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