William Saliba sends two-word message to Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe as his next club is confirmed

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Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has now sent a message to Nicolas Pepe after the winger made a huge announcement about his next move. 

Nicolas Pepe’s career at Arsenal did not go to plan.

The Ivorian winger arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Lille in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth £72 million, making him the Gunners’ record signing at that time. This record was not eclipsed until Mikel Arteta shelled out £105 million to prise Declan Rice away from West Ham United last summer.

Pepe struggled to ever really settle at Arsenal, and the emergence of Bukayo Saka ultimately forced him out of the team. After three seasons on the books with the Gunners, the 29-year-old managed just 112 appearances, across all competitions, in which he racked up 27 goals and 21 assists. 

Pepe has recently explained why he struggled at Arsenal, and whilst his numbers, in terms of end product, were fairly respectable, he all too often went missing in matches, and he was never a comfortable tactical fit, under either Unai Emery or Arteta.

The attacker joined Trabzonspor in the summer of 2023, after the Gunners cancelled the final year of his contract, allowing him to move on a free transfer. 

• READ MORE: Arsenal’s XI for Mikel Arteta’s first match as manager

Arsenal star William Saliba messages Nicolas Pepe after Villarreal move

After just one season with the Super Lig outfit, Pepe is now on the move as a free agent once again. The winger has just signed for Spanish side Villarreal, and will feature in La Liga this season.

The 46-cap Ivory Coast international took to Instagram to announce his move. He said: “’m very excited to announce that I just signed with Villarreal. This is a new chapter in my career and I can’t wait to give my best on the field. Thank you all for your support!”

William Saliba responded to this statement with a short message of support: “Let’s go.”

Pepe is a talented player, but hasn’t been able to settle at a club and consistently impress for some time. He will be hoping to get his career back on track with Villarreal.

Lesson Arsenal learned from Nicolas Pepe disaster

The Gunners hugely overpaid for Pepe, somewhat out of desperation, at the time of his arrival. He was never a good tactical fit for what Emery’s squad required at the time, and the player himself suffered as a consequence of that.

Now, Arteta and sporting director Edu have managed to enjoy regular success in the transfer market precisely because they have been able to resist such panic buys.