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Although Arsenal were largely successful in getting their fringe players off the books before the transfer window closed, several are still in limbo.
One is Nicolas Pépé, the club’s record signing before the arrival of Declan Rice this summer.
The Ivory Coast international spent last season on loan with Nice in Ligue 1, but showed few glimpses of the form that persuaded the Gunners to part with £72 million back in 2019. Nice had the option to sign him permanently, but declined the offer.
Earlier in the window he was linked with a move to Turkey and Beşiktaş, but that ultimately came to nothing.
He has one year left on his contract, but Arsenal are now considering paying him off in order to get rid of him. That would enable him to leave as a free agent, whilst the Gunners would finally be free of a player who failed to adapt to the Premier League.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.