‘Anything can happen’: Mikel Arteta suggests 27-year-old could yet leave Arsenal this summer

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Mikel Arteta has suggested that Nicolas Pepe could leave Arsenal this summer in his pre-match press conference.

In Arteta’s press conference – as relayed by Football London – the Spaniard was asked about Pepe’s future at Arsenal, to which he said: “What we can communicate we always do when it’s the right moment.

“We discussed that we have a big squad and we’ve allowed some players to leave. Until the end of the window anything can happen.”

French side Nice have reportedly contact Arsenal over the availability of Pepe, with the Ligue 1 team considering a loan move for the winger.

Pepe’s agent has already met with representatives from Nice, and the 27-year-old will be hoping his future can be settled quickly so that he can start concentrating on his football.

Arteta suggests Pepe could leave Arsenal

Nicolas Pepe is still by far and away the most expensive signing Arsenal have ever made.

Brought in for a club-record £72m from Lille in 2019, the forward has scored 16 league goals since arriving at the Emirates.

This is a shy of the number he scored in just his final season in Ligue 1, when he was the league’s second-top scorer with 22, although nine of those goals were penalties.

Pepe doesn’t fit into Arteta’s new, youthful side, with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka now occupying the wide positions, and the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson ready on the bench as reinforcements.

Arsenal have made a fantastic start to the season, winning both of their opening games, and benefiting from the impact of new signings Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

If Arsenal can convince a club to cover Pepe’s wages, or even make a suitable permanent offer for the Ivorian, they’ll have to seriously consider it, as Pepe’s opportunity to make an impact at the Emirates appears to be all but over.