This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 1, 2019, Arsenal confirmed the signing of Nicolas Pepe, an Ivorian international, in a club record deal worth £72m. The winger joined his new teammates in his first training session the same day.
Pepe, who featured for Ivory Coast at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, expressed his excitement about joining Arsenal and playing with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, and Alexandre Lacazette.
Speaking in his first interview with Arsenal website, Pepe said, 'The French guys who play here and I also thought of Özil, the world champions, Lacazette, Aubameyang and many more.' He added, 'Of course, these are the players who sprang to mind because I used to watch them when I was at Lille. Also, Lacazette used to play for Lyon and so I have had the opportunity to play against him and it will be an honour to play alongside him.'
Pepe could make his debut as Arsenal head to Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Saturday, while the clock is ticking down to their Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 11.
