Arsenal outcast Nicolas Pepe has said he does not know what will happen when he returns for pre-season training after an underwhelming loan spell at Nice.
Pepe is reportedly surplus to requirements as he enters the final year of his contract at the Emirates.
The Ivorian winger is the Gunners’ record signing at £72m, though this is soon to be eclipsed by the £105m acquisition of West Ham captain Declan Rice.
For the fee paid to Lille in 2019, Pepe has been pretty underwhelming, though he has shown his ability in fits and starts, especially in the 2020/21 campaign when he came second in voting for Arsenal’s Player of the Season.
The 28-year-old spent last season on loan with Nice as Mikel Arteta looked to reignite the player’s career.
That did not go to plan, however. In 28 appearances for the French outfit, Pepe scored eight goals and made one assist.
Arsenal are reportedly looking to receive a fee for Pepe in the summer transfer window, though there is a belief his contract will be terminated if he has not found a new club by the end of August.
There is some interest coming from Saudi Arabia, which seems like the only possible destination for the player unless he is available on a free.
Speaking to YouTube channel Colinterview, Pepe said he does not know what will happen when he next sees Arsenal boss Arteta.
“Because I was loaned with a loan without an option to buy, I have to go back to Arsenal,” he said. “After that, we don’t know.
“Go back there, see, speak with the manager and everyone to see everyone’s ideas, and only then make a decision.”
Pepe also quashed talk he was deemed not good enough by Arteta, insisting the Spanish manager “said he counted on me” before falling out of favour.
“People say that he identified me as a player that wasn’t up to the level in his team, in his philosophy. It’s completely false,” he added.
“When he arrived, he had (Manchester) City’s philosophy. He had a squad that was filled with quality and backups in every position.
“When he spoke to me, he said he counted on me, he wanted me to do this or that, and you have to focus on that. He improved me in every way.
“At the end of the first season, he spoke with me and told me to do this or that. The second season comes along, I was a substitute. I was going mad.
“How could I be a substitute when he said he counted on me? Everything is spinning in your head. I was a substitute for [what felt like] 10 matches.
“But that improved in the sense that he gave me a chance, I scored against Sheffield United at the Emirates. The confidence started to come back.
“He (Arteta) helped me in every way, on a tactical level, in terms of game intelligence because his philosophy requires a lot of intelligence. He knew my style of play wasn’t waiting in possession, it was cutting inside, it wasn’t waiting out on the right.
“Before, I was a bit freer. I had to wait in my zone, and I wasn’t like that before. These are parts of my game that he tried to improve. He always wanted to help me with all of that.”
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