Arsenal’s former record signing, Nicolas Pepe, appears to be on the brink of ending his tenure with the club.

Reports suggest that the Ivorian winger is in talks to terminate his contract with the North London outfit, potentially making a move to Turkish side Besiktas.

• Nicolas Pepe is reportedly in talks to terminate his Arsenal contract and possibly sign for Turkish club Besiktas.
• This comes as a result of Pepe’s underwhelming spell at Nice and his omission from Mikel Arteta’s plans.
• The move could be beneficial for Arsenal, helping to trim down the squad size, which Arteta has described as ‘unsustainable’.

Nicolas Pepe nearing the end of his Arsenal journey

After three years with Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe, is reportedly in discussions to terminate his contract with the London-based club.

The Ivorian right winger, who holds the position of being the second most expensive signing in Arsenal’s history, is being linked with a move to Turkish side, Besiktas.

Unsatisfactory spell at Nice and an unclear future at Arsenal

Pepe, whose contract with Arsenal runs until June 2024, had a somewhat disappointing loan spell at Nice that ended in May.

He has not returned to London since then, sparking speculation about his future. The Ivorian has been conspicuously missing from Mikel Arteta’s plans, which further fuelled rumours of his imminent departure from the club.

The Challenge of Moving on

Despite Pepe’s underwhelming performance, moving him on has been challenging due to his substantial salary and his dipping stock.

Last summer, Arsenal’s Sporting Director, Edu, acknowledged these difficulties, stating that if a player above 26 or 27 is underperforming and has a big salary, there’s a very limited market for them.

The Besiktas Connection

Now, a possible solution seems to be on the horizon as Pepe is linked with a move to Turkey.

Reports suggest that Besiktas are about to add the right winger to their squad, and he is in the process of terminating his contract with Arsenal. How they can afford wages that Pepe would consider acceptable, even in light of there being no fee, is anyone’s guess.

Terminating Pepe’s Arsenal contract could make sense for both parties at this point rather than continuing to pay him for another year when he would just leave for nothing anyway.

With the current number of players in the first team squad being described as ‘unsustainable’ by Arteta, moving Pepe on is top of the Arsenal to-do list before the window closes.

Nicolas Pepe’s Arsenal numbers

• Fee: £72m+
• Matches: 112
• Minutes: 6,591
• Average minutes per match: 58.8
• Matches under Arteta: 93
• Average minutes under Arteta: 58.3
• Matches under Emery: 16
• Average minutes under Emery: 59
• Matches under Ljungberg: 3
• Average minutes under Ljungberg: 74
• Goals: 27
• Goals under Arteta: 23
• Assists: 21
• Assists under Arteta: 16
• Yellow cards: 5
• Red cards: 1
• Salary: £120kpw/£6.24m