Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has spoken up in defence of one player who is not remembered all too fondly at Arsenal.
As with every club, Arsenal’s moves in the transfer market have not always paid off.
The North London club have been guilty of their fair share of transfer market missteps. Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar have made their mistakes when it comes to signing players. The likes of Willian and Nuno Tavares, for instance, were unable to make the grade at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the most high profile of the Gunners’ flop signings, due to the price paid for his services, must be Nicolas Pepe.
Pepe was signed by then-manager Unai Emery from Lille in the summer of 2019 for a then club-record fee of £72 million.
The Ivorian winger went on to make just 112 appearances for the Gunners, across all competitions, contributing 27 goals and 21 assists.
Having been out of favour for some time, the 29-year-old was cut loose in September 2023, joining Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on a free transfer, despite having a year remaining on his contract with Arsenal.
Pepe now plies his trade for Villarreal and certainly has a point to prove now that he has returned to one of Europe’s most prominent leagues.
Darren Bent compares Nicolas Pepe to Antony and Jadon Sancho
Speaking on talkSPORT, Darren Bent recently offered something of a defence for Pepe, at least in comparison with two expensive wingers who have failed to shine for Manchester United.
He said: “He [Pepe] was okay. Listen, his stats are better than Sancho and Antony. I am talking about two players – that’s combined. He was okay. I think he was harshly treated because of the price tag.”
How the Manchester United duo really compare with the Arsenal flop
Antony joined the Red Devils from Ajax in 2022 for the price of £82 million. Prior to that, in 2021, Manchester United had paid £73 million to bring Jason Sancho to Old Trafford. He has since made the switch to Chelsea to Chelsea on loan.
In 83 appearances for Manchester United, Antony has racked up 11 goals and 5 assists. In his own 83 outings for the club, Sancho produced 12 goals and 6 assists.
Bent is correct to assert that the £155 million duo fell significantly short of Pepe’s contribution in terms of end product.
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