On September 8th, Nicolas Pépé left Arsenal to join Trabzonspor on a permanent deal.
The forward had a year left on his contract at the Emirates but the Gunners allowed him to leave on a free transfer. He has since signed a one-year deal with the Turkish club.
On Monday, the former Arsenal man was presented to the media, where he talked about the reception he received from the Trabzonspor supporters upon his arrival in Turkey, and NTV Spor have relayed his comments.
The 28-year-old returned to Arsenal after spending last season on loan at OGC Nice and was aware that he wasn’t included in Mikel Arteta’s plans this season. He had several options in Turkey but decided to join Trabzonspor on a short-term deal, and has explained his reasoning.
“Especially our vice president, who travelled regarding this issue. To see me, to have a conversation. He came to explain the club’s project. After he explained to me the club and the project, this was something that appealed directly to me and I could not refuse it.”
On his decision to sign a one-year deal, Pépé explained that he and his representatives came up with a “short-term plan”.
The Ivory Coast international was a club-record signing for Arsenal until they invested over €100m to sign Declan Rice in July. Pépé managed 27 goals and 21 assists from 112 games for the Gunners.
