Nicolas Pepe seems set to finally secure a permanent move away from Arsenal.
According to French publication L’Equipe, Arsenal outcast Nicolas Pepe is closing in on a move to Turkish club Besiktas, and underwent a medical in Paris yesterday (Monday).
Despite the English transfer window having closed some days ago, the market remains open in Turkey.
Pepe had the chance to join Besiktas earlier this summer and refused the move. However, the Ivorian winger now looks to have changed his mind about making the switch.
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The 28-year-old is certainly in desperate need of a way out of the Emirates Stadium. The £140,000-a-week attacker is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans, and has likely been training alone since his return to the north London club from his loan spell with Nice.
Pepe wasn’t able to rediscover his best form during his temporary stint back in France last season. However, he was at least able to get regular game time, making 28 appearances over the course of the campaign. He wouldn’t have been afforded those opportunities in the Premier League by the Gunners.
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The 37-cap Ivory Coast international needs a permanent move to get his career back on track. Arsenal themselves need to be able to consign this £72 million transfer disaster to the club’s history books.
Arteta and sporting director Edu will be hoping that Pepe’s move to Besiktas proceeds without a hitch from this point. The club were able to offload the majority of their unwanted players this summer, with Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, and Albert Sambi Lokonga all being given moves, but Pepe is one of the few to remain on the Arsenal books.
If Pepe’s move is soon finalised, attention will surely turn to ensuring that Cedric Soares follows suit. There is no place for the Portuguese full-back at Arsenal, and he needs to find pastures new if he is to stand any chance of regular game time this season. Olympiacos look to be his most likely destination, as things stand.