KEY POINTS

  • Lille president Gerard Lopez said Nicolas Pepe had nothing to do with Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi's exit
  • Lopez pointed out that Arsenal gained a "rare" player after they sold Pepe to the Gunners last year
  • Arsenal made another remarkable transfer move by signing former Chelsea star Willian 

Lille president Gerard Lopez said that Arsenal gained a “rare” player who can "make something happen from nothing" when his club decided to sell Nicolas Pepe to the Gunners last year.

Pepe has been under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage since his move last year and was in fine form during his debut season with the club. However, his arrival at Emirates Stadium was recently marred by reports linking his name to the departure of Arsenal’s head of football, Raul Sanllehi, over the weekend, ESPN reported.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports, Lopez, president of Pepe’s former club Lille, discussed the issue and insisted that the player had nothing to do with Sanllehi’s exit.

Instead, Lopez pointed out that Arsenal made a smart decision in signing Pepe as his former star is a "rare" player who has the ability to adjust and contribute inside the pitch given just a short period of time.

"They have a player [Pepe] where people forget his age, and the fact he took one season to click within our system and then became the player which we all know," Lopez said of Pepe. "He has had a good second half of the season at Arsenal and he is one of the rare players who can make something happen from nothing."

In August 2019, Arsenal confirmed the signing of Ivory Coast winger Pepe from Lille for a staggering club-record fee of £72 million ($94 million). The then-24-year-old signed a five-year contract with the Gunners and became the fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history after Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku and Liverpool star defender Virgil van Dijk.

Lopez also teased that Arsenal should expect something bigger with Pepe on its squad, adding, "The more comfortable he [Pepe] gets at the club, the more he will make things happen so I think the best is yet to come."

Nicolas Pepe's second free-kick goal against Guimaraes was almost the same as his first
Nicolas Pepe's second free-kick goal against Guimaraes was almost the same as his first AFP / Glyn KIRK

This year, the Gunners seemed to have repeated the remarkable Pepe transfer move when the club completed the deal for ex-Chelsea star Willian.

The 32-year-old left the Blues after his contract expired but is all set for another Premier League journey after signing a three-year deal with Arsenal on Friday.

Ahead of his debut with the Gunners, Willian has already earned Arteta’s trust. The Arsenal boss already has high regard for the Brazilian winger and regarded him as a "player that can really make a difference."

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