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What's the story?
Arsenal summer signing Nicolas Pepe has explained his decision to join the Gunners amid interest from varied clubs this summer and has given credit to Unai Emery for helping him settle at the Emirates.
In case you didn't know...
Pepe kickstarted his professional career with French fifth-tier club Poitiers before moving to Angers in 2013. A switch to Lille in 2017 facilitated an immediate rise for the player as he went on to score 35 goals in 74 Ligue 1 appearances for the club.
The 24-year-old emerged as one of Europe's most wanted players this summer, owing to the scintillating form he enjoyed at Lille in the previous season, scoring 22 goals and registering 11 assists for the French club.
A series of European powerhouses were gunning for the presence of his blistering pace and intelligent decision-making in their squad. The likes of Liverpool, Napoli and Manchester United were all heavily linked with a move for the winger, who eventually joined Arsenal on a five-year-deal.
The heart of the matter
Pepe has now explained the reasons for his move to Arsenal, telling the club's official website,
"I chose to come here because it's a club with a lot of ambition. They have the dream of coming back to the Champions League and I am also an ambitious person, so the choice was very logical.
"I am attracted to the Premier League because it is an extremely intense championship and the best league in the world. The idea is to win the Europa League and that is a goal of ours. It's a European event and our goal is to do better than last season. I believe we will."
The Ivory Coast international further revealed how Emery has been helping him settle at Arsenal.
"It's been really good because he speaks French and it has been much easier for us to communicate.
"I am new, the strategy and tactics are new and it really helps that I can get the coach's assistance. Now I need to learn English and this is something he is helping me with also."
What's next?
Arsenal are set to travel to Anfield for their Premier League clash against Liverpool on Saturday.
