Arsenal have wrapped up a transfer for Nicolas Pepe – the club have confirmed but rumours suggest they are still in pursuit of Wilfried Zaha.
Lille president Gerard Lopez had recently claimed that the two clubs have agreed on a deal to sign Nicolas Pepe and the transfer should be wrapped up pretty soon. And this is exactly what has happened.
The club announced the signing saying: “Winger Nicolas Pepe has become our record signing after joining us from Ligue 1 club Lille.
“The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international completed the paperwork on his move on Thursday. He will wear the No.19 shirt.”
Pepe is undoubtedly a fine signing for Emery but the manager is still eager to bring Wilfried Zaha on board with many reports claiming that he remains Emery’s top transfer priority.
Up until now, Palace have rejected an offer from the Gunners since they want nothing less than 80 million pounds.
While this is a big amount for Arsenal right now but some experts feel that the Gunners can still manage to strike a deal.
Yes, some fans have been rejoicing but many of them are furious with their club since almost every concerned fan has been urging the manager to bring in a new centre-back before the new season. But somehow, Unai Emery has chosen to turn a deaf year to all these requests.
And now talking about the situation, Press Association sports journalist Mark Bryans has chosen to talk about why the Arsenal boss has refused to sign a new defender.
He wrote on Twitter: “The club’s analysis team pinpointed the need for more pace and skill in attack as the best way of improving poor away form, which is why Zaha & Pepe were targeted instead.”
Plenty have questioned all summer why a CB has not been top priority at #AFC given recent seasons…
A: The club's analysis team pinpointed the need for more pace and skill in attack as the best way of improving poor away form, which is why Zaha & Pepe were targeted instead.
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) August 1, 2019
While some defenders like Samuel Umtiti have been linked with a move to the North London club but up until now nothing concrete has materialized.
The club have until the 8th of this month to bring in a new centre-back or else they will be stuck with players like Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny.
