Football NewsNicolas Pepe Hints He’s Ready to Compete for a Spot Under Mikel Arteta.
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Arsenal’s failure Nicolas Pepe has hinted that he intends to battle for a spot at the club, claiming that he is ‘motivated’ and ‘determined’ to make his mark.

After joining in a £72 million move from Lille in 2019, the Ivory Coast international remains the club’s record signing, but he has struggled to make an impact in north London.

The 27-year-old scored one goal and provided one assist in five Premier League games last season, and announced in May that he had changed agents amid talk of a move elsewhere.

Leeds, Sevilla, Lyon, and Marseille have all indicated interest in signing Pepe this summer, but in an Instagram post following the conclusion of Arsenal’s pre-season tour of America, he appeared to dismiss the possibility of a move elsewhere.

‘I worked very hard throughout the summer. ‘A lot of things have changed,’ Pepe said as a caption below a photo of himself in pre-season action in the United States.

‘With Arsenal and my teammates, I’m focused and driven,’ he added.

Last season, he was second fiddle to Bukayo Saka, and as a result, he only made 19 appearances across all competitions in 2021-22.

Arsenal’s offense has been bolstered this summer with the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira from Manchester City and Porto, respectively, and rumors say Mikel Arteta is still looking for a right winger.

According to reports last week, Sevilla had began conversations with Arsenal over Pepe’s availability.

They did, however, suggest that his pay is a concern for Sevilla, who face Arsenal in the Emirates Cup on Saturday, with Pepe needing to decrease his current £100,000 per week demands if a deal is to take place.

There is also the issue of the money, with Sevilla only willing to spend £15 million for the 27-year-old.

The Gunners are holding out for roughly £10 million more in order to recuperate some of the massive amount they paid just three years ago.

Marseille and Lyon are both interested in bringing him back to France, where his achievements for Lille won him a big-money move to Arsenal in the first place.

Pepe has started three of Arsenal’s five pre-season games, against Ipswich Town, Nuremberg, and Orlando City, while also coming off the bench against Premier League rivals Everton and Chelsea.