Arsenal finally set to offload expensive flop as Mikel Arteta trims squad

Arsenal are set to offload flopped signing Nicolas Pepe.

The 27-year-old has been with the Gunners for three years, scoring 16 times in 80 Premier League appearances.

Pepe cost Arsenal as much as £72million back in 2019, but he has struggled to impress, even with the style of play changing under Mikel Arteta.

The Ivorian has been one of the Gunners’ biggest flops, and he is now set to leave the club as Arteta continues to shape his squad.

Arteta has improved his squad significantly this summer, and he now needs to trim the edges, offloading players he is not going to use.

Pepe is one of the players who looks set to leave, and his agent was spotted in France over the weekend ahead of his exit.

According to the Daily Mail, the 27-year-old is headed to Nice on a season-long loan, linking up with Aaron Ramsey and Kasper Schmeichel, who joined the Ligue 1 club this summer.

That’s despite Pepe insisting he was willing to fight for his place this season.

“I worked hard during the summer. Changed a lot of things,” the winger wrote on Instagram earlier in the summer.

“I’m focused and determined with Arsenal and my teammates.”

Since then, Pepe has been left on the bench as an unused substitute for both of Arsenal’s games, and he does not appear to be part of Arteta’s immediate plans.

Arteta criticised Pepe in April after the winger was a little too honest over his situation during international duty.

“I want to hear that if that’s an honest opinion,” said Arteta. “I think with Nico it is because he hasn’t shown anything different to me.

“I don’t want to find players who have the complacency to accept the situation. They have to want to improve, try to get the player who is playing to a different level and helping the team more.

“When you have the opportunity, you have to take it.”