Arsenal have signed LOSC Lille winger Nicolas Pepe for a club-record fee on a five-year contract.

Lille's Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe celebrates after scoring a goal during the L1 football match AS Saint-Etienne (ASSE) vs Lille (LOSC) on March 10, 2019, at the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne, central France. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)
Lille’s Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe celebrates after scoring a goal during the L1 football match AS Saint-Etienne (ASSE) vs Lille (LOSC) on March 10, 2019, at the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne, central France. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

Arsenal have confirmed the £72m signing of Pepe today, concluding a transfer saga that began all the way back in September 2018.

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Pepe is a 24-year-old left-footed right-winger who shone in Ligue 1 last season. The Ivory Coast international was only outscored by Kylian Mbappe domestically, netting 23 times and adding a further 12 assists, as well as winning six penalties for his team.

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What’s more, the wide man addresses a specific deficit in Arsenal’s squad, when it comes to individual dribbling ability. Alex Iwobi’s 98 dribbles last season ranked him 19th in the league, whilst Pepe managed the second-most in Europe.

Despite the obvious quality Arsenal have in the centre-forward position, they lacked the same kind of exciting player out wide, particularly on the right-hand side. Pepe goes some way to addressing that problem.

According to reports, Arsenal will only pay £20m for Pepe upfront, followed by the remaining £52m over the next five years. He had his medical on Tuesday, and the club hope he’ll be available to face Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Pepe is Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer, with William Saliba, Dani Ceballos and Gabriel Martinelli already confirmed.

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