Former Arsenal star joins Spanish club

After a £72 million ($92m) move to Arsenal in 2019 that seemingly didn’t favor either side, Ivorian striker Nicolas Pepe is looking for his next home, and he may have found one in Spain with La Liga side Villareal.

The 29-year-old was confirmed as a new signing by the Yellow Submarine on Sunday in his latest attempt to recover from a disappointing stint at the Emirates stadium. He has now secured a two-year deal after joining as a free agent after ending his short stay in Turkey with Trabzonspor. There, he notched five goals in 19 appearances in the Turkish league.

The Ivorian forward will be hoping to better his 112 appearances and 48 goal contributions for the Gunners at the La Ceramica. The Ivorian forward who has 10 goals in 46 appearances for the Ivory Coast national beloved on after a disastrous spell at Arsenal.

Pepe tried to defend his stint at Arsenal, saying that the expectations caused by his price tag were never his fault and that his perceived poor time at Emirates Stadium was not his fault.

“If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it’d be different. It’s not the player’s fault. They don’t ask for £100m or £90m. But that’s how it is in the football world, and it’s something that people can’t understand. There are also players like Mudryk and Antony who don’t perform at their best all the time, and yet they’re not bad players.” Pepe said.

Pepe was officially unveiled on Sunday and he is expected to team up with the team as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund and Brighton in club friendlies before the start of the 2024/2025 domestic campaign against Atletico Madrid on August 19th.

Pepe spent time on loan at Nice while on the books of Arsenal between 2022 and 2023, scoring six goals in nineteen appearances.