Pepe is enjoying his football again at Villarreal after his time at Arsenal turned sour as he was worn down by abuse online

Nicolas Pepe has revealed just how heavy of a burden the record transfer fee Arsenal spent on him was. In the summer of 2019, the Gunners spent a then-club-record fee of €80 million on the Lille winger on the recommendation of coach Unai Emery.

Pepe joined the Gunners in a reported £72 million deal from French giants Lille in the summer of 2019. The 29-year-old, who now plies his trade for Villarreal, has admitted that he paid the price for his massive transfer fee. The fleet-footed winger said, as quoted by Metro:

Nicolas Pepe became Arsenal's record signing when he arrived from Lille in 2019, but the Ivorian winger struggled to live up to his huge price tag during his time in north London