Revealed: The club which will end Pepe's Arsenal nightmare

FT Desk

• Updated: 17 Aug 2022 07:20 BST
• 1 min read

Nicolas Pepe's miserable Arsenal spell is set to come to an end as the striker prepares for a move back to France.

Pepe, 27, joined the Gunners at the start of the 2019-20 season after impressing in Ligue 1 with Lille.

But his time at the Emirates Stadium has turned out to be little more than an unmitigated disaster, as the scoring touch which made him so deadly at his previous club deserted him.

The forward has managed just 27 goals in 112 games for Arsenal over three seasons and hit a new lot in 2021-22, with one solitary strike in 20 Premier League outings.

With Gabriel Jesus now leading the line Pepe has become an outcast at the Emirates, failing to play a single minute of their opening two games this term.

Fortunately for the Ivory Coast international, a lifeline is at hand in the shape of Ligue 1 side Nice.

The Mirror reports that Pepe's agent watched Nice draw against Strasbourg on Sunday, their second in as many games this term.

A season-long loan could now be at hand which would give him a fresh start following his nightmare in north London.

Should Pepe sign, he would be the second ex-Arsenal man to join Nice this summer, after Aaron Ramsey completed a free transfer earlier in the window.

Former Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has also headed to the Cote d'Azur during an ambitious transfer period for the club, who are looking to improve on their impressive fifth-placed finish last term in Ligue 1.