Arsenal have always been known as a club who have been cautious in the transfer window.
The Gunners have historically held out on signing big-name, big-money players unless a major opportunity were to fall into their lap. In recent years, players who could be classified as such include the likes of Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
This is why it came as such a surprise when Arsenal shattered their club transfer record by signing Ivorian winger Nicolas Pépé from Lille. With a transfer fee of
€79 million, Pépé is now the most expensive African footballer of all time, beating the record previously held by his new teammate Aubameyang.
Now, while I do not believe that Pépé will play poorly during his stint at the London club, I consider this a mistake on Arsenal's part.
As Pépé is still only 24, his high transfer fee is both the product of current performance as well as projected future potential. However, it does not seem as though he has the ceiling of a true superstar. While this fact might not be a problem in and of itself, when a club signs a player for that high a transfer fee, the club ought to expect the player to be able to deliver at such a level.
Pépé did have a breakout campaign at Lille during the 2018-19 season. He scored an impressive 22 league goals and handed out 11 assists to lead Les Dogues to second place in Ligue 1.
However, it ought to be noted that he did not do this in one of Europe's major leagues. Thus, the level of competition that he faced every week was lower than what was encountered by some other rising stars such as Luka Jović, Joshua Kimmich, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Richarlison, and Leroy Sané, among others. Since the level of play in the Premier League is much higher than that of Ligue 1, Pépé may find it difficult to adapt; in fact, there is even a slight possibility that he never does so and struggles throughout his time in England, though that is the absolute worst-case scenario.
The addition of Pépé to the current Arsenal team also seems somewhat redundant. This is due to the fact that Aubameyang, who is clearly Arsenal's best player, is currently on the roster.
Pépé is a player whose style of play is very similar to that of the Gabonese striker. Able to play on either wing or at centre-forward, Pépé often uses his blistering speed to leave defenders behind him when moving inside from out wide.
This description is almost an exact copy of a description which could have been used to describe Aubameyang, particularly during his Borussia Dortmund days when he was younger and more athletic. Arsenal could easily have used the money spent on Pépé to sign a player such as Richarlison, Jović, Sébastien Haller, or Cengiz Ünder - young players of similar or higher calibre and who are all better fits alongside Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette up front.
One area in which Arsenal erred in this transfer window was their failure to make any notable transfers until July 25, when they signed William Saliba from Saint-Étienne. By this point, teams such as Real Madrid, Juventus, and Bayern Munich had all made multiple major signings. Even domestically, the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham had both landed a signing of note well before Arsenal did. This therefore artificially inflated Pépé's price - typically, the later in the transfer window the player is signed, the more inflated the transfer fee.
Now, I don't think this transfer is completely negative for Arsenal. Pépé is a clear upgrade over Alex Iwobi and should move straight into Arsenal's starting 11. There is definitely some potential in him, as was shown by his impressive 2018-19 season. He can definitely be a solid starter at the Emirates Stadium this season.
However, when the player in question is signed for €79 million, you expect much more than just "solid starter". You expect a star, and I do not believe Pépé will ever become one.
If this transfer is anything to go by, Arsenal fans can once again expect a difficult season after a below-par transfer window - a common refrain for the club over the last decade.
Now, while I do not believe that Pépé will play poorly during his stint at the London club, I consider this a mistake on Arsenal's part.
As Pépé is still only 24, his high transfer fee is both the product of current performance as well as projected future potential. However, it does not seem as though he has the ceiling of a true superstar. While this fact might not be a problem in and of itself, when a club signs a player for that high a transfer fee, the club ought to expect the player to be able to deliver at such a level.
Pépé did have a breakout campaign at Lille during the 2018-19 season. He scored an impressive 22 league goals and handed out 11 assists to lead Les Dogues to second place in Ligue 1.
However, it ought to be noted that he did not do this in one of Europe's major leagues. Thus, the level of competition that he faced every week was lower than what was encountered by some other rising stars such as Luka Jović, Joshua Kimmich, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Richarlison, and Leroy Sané, among others. Since the level of play in the Premier League is much higher than that of Ligue 1, Pépé may find it difficult to adapt; in fact, there is even a slight possibility that he never does so and struggles throughout his time in England, though that is the absolute worst-case scenario.
The addition of Pépé to the current Arsenal team also seems somewhat redundant. This is due to the fact that Aubameyang, who is clearly Arsenal's best player, is currently on the roster.
Pépé is a player whose style of play is very similar to that of the Gabonese striker. Able to play on either wing or at centre-forward, Pépé often uses his blistering speed to leave defenders behind him when moving inside from out wide.
This description is almost an exact copy of a description which could have been used to describe Aubameyang, particularly during his Borussia Dortmund days when he was younger and more athletic. Arsenal could easily have used the money spent on Pépé to sign a player such as Richarlison, Jović, Sébastien Haller, or Cengiz Ünder - young players of similar or higher calibre and who are all better fits alongside Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette up front.
One area in which Arsenal erred in this transfer window was their failure to make any notable transfers until July 25, when they signed William Saliba from Saint-Étienne. By this point, teams such as Real Madrid, Juventus, and Bayern Munich had all made multiple major signings. Even domestically, the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham had both landed a signing of note well before Arsenal did. This therefore artificially inflated Pépé's price - typically, the later in the transfer window the player is signed, the more inflated the transfer fee.
Now, I don't think this transfer is completely negative for Arsenal. Pépé is a clear upgrade over Alex Iwobi and should move straight into Arsenal's starting 11. There is definitely some potential in him, as was shown by his impressive 2018-19 season. He can definitely be a solid starter at the Emirates Stadium this season.
However, when the player in question is signed for €79 million, you expect much more than just "solid starter". You expect a star, and I do not believe Pépé will ever become one.
If this transfer is anything to go by, Arsenal fans can once again expect a difficult season after a below-par transfer window - a common refrain for the club over the last decade.
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