Struggling to find much game time under Mikel Arteta, Nicolas Pépé found himself needing a way out from Arsenal to get regular minutes.
He found that at OGC Nice in Ligue 1, a league he knows well as that’s where he made a name for himself at Lille before his big move to the Emirates.
His time at Arsenal definitely hasn’t gone to plan, and he never lived up to his €72m price tag, which is why he has needed a return to France to get back into the swing of things.
He’s managed to make 16 appearances in Ligue 1 so far, scoring six goals and assisting another, and added two goals in six games in the Conference League.
The Arsenal loanee, however, is currently out with an injury that has seen him miss the last three league games, and his manager, Didier Digard, isn’t in a rush to bring him back.
He said, relayed by Foot Sur 7: “Nicolas has started his protocol, and he’s reacting well for now. He’s also an important player. I’d rather take my time to make sure that we don’t lose him again before the end of the season.
“We have a long season, we are really going to be careful because there will be the end of a campaign with a lot of games to deal with, and we will really need him.”
