The Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal move has been gathering a lot of pace and now that excitement has increased due to Granit Xhaka.
According to reports in Metro, the Gunners midfielder ‘liked’ a post on Instagram regarding the club’s deal to bring Pepe to the Emirates.
This in the eyes of many fans seemed to confirm the fact that Pepe was indeed on his way to London. As per the latest reports, the Gunners have agreed a deal worth €80m for the winger and the official announcement is expected to happen soon.
📸Granit Xhaka and Emile Smith Rowe’s both liked a post about Arsenal reaching an agreement for Nicolas Pepe. [@afcstuff] #afc pic.twitter.com/HcJvJxceZk
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) July 28, 2019
This social media activity by Xhaka who is also thought to be the next captain of Arsenal has increased the excitement levels among fans. And they were also quick to note another midfielder in the form of Emile Smith-Rowe had also liked the same post.
Speaking to the media after the 2-1 defeat to Lyon in the Emirates Cup, Arsenal manager Unai Emery had this to say about the potential transfer of Pepe(as per Metro):
‘There are different players on the table. Pepe’s a very good player. We only want players who can really, really improve the squad.’
Pepe would definitely be able to add the qualities that Emery is looking for and he proved that on a consistent basis for Lille in the 2018/19 season. He ended up scoring 23 goals in just 41 games which is a great goal scoring return for a winger.
Arsenal have needed this kind of a player for a long time so the excitement among the Gunners fans is quite understandable. They will be hoping and praying that the Ivorian is able to gel right from the start with players like Ozil, Lacazette and Aubameyang. The deal to bring Pepe to the club is an incredibly smart bit of business that has been done by those in charge at the club.
He is a player that has been wanted by the biggest clubs in Europe including current Champions League winners Liverpool. Hopefully, Pepe is the kind of player that will help propel the Gunners back into the Champions League and if he is able to do that, his signing will be an unqualified success. Let us hope that the confirmation from Arsenal comes very soon.
