Ex-Arsenal man says he has 'no regrets' but insists supporters expected too much

Nicolas Pepe says he has no regrets over his time spent at Arsenal.

Pepe, 30, joined Arsenal in a seismic deal worth £72million and would go on to make 112 appearances.

During his four-year spell in north London, the Ivory Coast international was often heavily criticised for his lacklustre performances, especially given the price tag he arrived with.

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Now with La Liga side Villarreal, Pepe is set to return to his old stomping ground this evening, as the two sides play a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium.

Pepe, who recently spoke to BBC Sport about his time spent in England, insisted he doesn't look back with any regret.

"It wasn't easy at all. And the fans weren't happy with how I was performing," he began.

"When I first joined, the fans weren't really judging my performances; they were judging the price tag. But I think I did some great things while at Arsenal. I don't regret my time there.

"But my transfer fee to the club was the highest one they'd signed, so they expected me to score in each match."

Pepe would go on to score just 27 goals for Arsenal before leaving for Turkish side Trabzonspor in 2023.

Since then, the ex-Lille man has also enjoyed time in Spain, where he now resides, and insists that if his price tag was only £20m, things may have worked out better.

"If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it'd be different," he said. "It's not the player's fault.

"They don't ask for £100m or £90m. But that's how it is in the football world and it's something that people can't understand.

"There are also players like [Mykhailo] Mudryk and Antony who don't perform at their best all the time, and yet they're not bad players."