Former Arsenal club-record signing Nicolas Pepe has said that he almost retired from football entirely while playing for the club.
The Ivory Coast international joined the Gunners from Lille for a fee of £72 million in the summer of 2019.Although he did score 10 goals during the 2021/22 season, he scored just once in 20 appearances in the subsequent campaign.After a season with Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor, Pepe is now settling into life in La Liga with Villarreal, scoring his maiden goal in a 3-1 win over Las Palmas on September 30.
The Ivorian said that the criticism of his time in English football got to him, and that his loss of 'passion' for the game almost led to him quitting entirely.Nicolas Pepe in action for Arsenal during a pre-season friendly - Getty "It also came from the media, or from certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performance."
Arsenal Football Mikel Arteta Unai Emery
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