The Athletic’s David Ornstein spent some time talking about Nicolas Pepe and his future at Arsenal during a recent Ask Ornstein video that was posted on The Athletic’s UK YouTube channel.
This comes after the Ivory Coast international received a red card in the 51st minute of the Gunners’ 0-0 draw with Leeds United this past weekend for headbutting Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski.
In a post-match interview, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta declared that the £36m-rated winger’s red card “was unacceptable” and following this past weekend’s incident, Ornstein was asked if Pepe’s future is no longer at the Emirates Stadium – but the journalist indicated that it is unlikely the 25-year-old will depart from the north London club, who signed him for £72m in the summer of 2019, saying:
“Will Nicolas Pepe leave Arsenal? The short answer to that is no. Nicolas Pepe is under contract with Arsenal until 2024. I know it hasn’t been a smooth start to life at the club, but I don’t see him going anywhere.
“It wouldn’t have been easy for Pepe playing professionally outside of France for the first time, the intensity of the Premier League, the expectations of Arsenal, the price tag weighing on his shoulders.
“Arteta made his feelings abundantly clear after the Leeds game but I felt that was more in relation to the isolated incident than the bigger picture.
“No doubt, it would have made for an awkward scene in the dressing room and on the journey home but they’ll talk it through, he’s apologised publicly now, some of his teammates have rallied around on social media. From what I hear, he’s a popular figure inside the club, trains well and hard, showcases his skills and ability – I don’t think it’s comparable to the Matteo Guendouzi situation, for example.
“Arsenal have invested a hell of a lot of money into him and I see absolutely no way in which they cast him off or look for him to leave – to the contrary, I think that they will just be focused on getting the best out of him in the years ahead.”
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TIF Thoughts on what David Ornstein had to say about Nicolas Pepe’s future…
Pepe became Arsenal’s record transfer signing when he moved to the north London club from Lille last summer, so given the large outlay that the Ivorian commanded, perhaps it’s not a major surprise that it doesn’t seem the club intend to part ways with him over this past weekend’s incident.
Ahead of Arsenal’s UEFA Europa League clash with Molde on Thursday, in which Pepe grabbed the Gunners’ opener during their 3-0 win, Arteta also backed the 25-year-old winger despite his weekend comments condemning the player’s red card, as the Spanish coach said that Pepe “had a really good reaction” following his sending-off and apologised, as Ornstein also explained.
Furthermore, Arteta has indicated that he feels it’s time to move on from the incident so it does seem as though Ornstein is right in saying that Pepe is not going to be transfer-listed over this sending-off and it would seem that his future still lies at the Emirates Stadium.