Arsenal willing to offload Nicolas Pepe in January - Right choice by Arteta?

Bengaluru, Nov. 18: Arsenal reportedly are ready to sell winger Nicolas Pepe this January with the Gunners willing to suffer a significant loss on him.

Having set the Ligue 1 on fire, the former Lille gunman earned a whopping £80m move to Arsenal in 2019. The North London side uncharacteristically shelled out such a big fee but with a hope of making him the star face of the new side. But he has been anything but prolific so far.

He has struggled to make any kind of impact under Unai Emery or Mikel Arteta. Although, he did show some improvement last season. However, that can't justify his record price tag for the Gunners. He has lost his place in the first-team lineup this season. The 26-year-old has started only five matches in the Premier League and has featured in only five minutes of action since mid-October.

It is now believed that the Gunners management has lost faith in him and is now willing to take a hit on their record transfer as early as January.

Transfer link

Pepe has not been exclusively linked with any top European club as such, but his availability in the January market will surely raise a few eyebrows. Arsenal are reportedly ready to sell him for as low as £25million which could incite many clubs.

Good deal for all parties involved?

As of now, Pepe has fallen behind Smith Rowe, Saka, Martin Odegaard and even Gabriel Martinelli in the pecking order and that is unlikely to change very soon. At this stage of his career, he needs to play more. He seems to have lost a chunk of his confidence due to his struggles at Arsenal. Hence, a January exit could go well for both parties. Gunners could hope to get him off their wage bill and recoup some of the fee they had spent on him in 2019 while Pepe could relish chances elsewhere with a fresh start.