Jones tips Newcastle to sign Pepe

Transfer insider Dean Jones believes Newcastle United could sign Arsenal outcast Nicolas Pepe this summer but insists he is not a top target for the Premier League side at the moment.

After bolstering their defence with the signing of Sven Botman, the Magpies are now looking to add quality and depth to their forward positions with links to the likes of Moussa Diaby who has impressed at Bayer Leverkusen with double-digit goals and assists, and Lucas Paqueta of Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, who is good friends with Bruno Guimaraes and is one of their most important players.

However, Jones recently pointed out that a surprising move for Arsenal’s Pepe could be on the cards for Eddie Howe as is available for a move and could be a really good fit due to his style of play.

Jones said on the Chasing Green Arrows show, “I know for a fact he’s [Nicolas Pepe] not their top pick right now, he’s probably not the top two or three but the fact that he is gettable in this market means I can’t rule this out… Newcastle, their ambition, the style of football they intend to play, it might be a really good fit if they can get the right sort of deal together”. (11-29)

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TIF Thoughts on Pepe to Newcastle…

Pepe has been unlucky since he arrived at Arsenal for a whopping £72m from Nice back in 2019 but a move to Newcastle could be good for both player and club and could in turn revive his Premier League career.

The Ivorian barely featured for Mikel Arteta’s side last season, making just 22 appearances across all competitions. However, he did manage to pick up three goals and six assists in this time while ranking in the 98th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area and 90th for both dribbles completed and progressive passes received.

These stats show there is still a player in Pepe but he has not been given consistent starts to show what he is capable of. A move to Newcastle at a discounted price could be a great way for him to revive his career while the Magpies get a hungry and talented winger to accompany Allan Saint-Maximin.