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Pepe fired shots at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta earlier this year for not giving him a fair chance at the club. He felt that the signing of Willian and getting benched for the Brazilian saw him lose his place at the club.
The Ivory Coast star cost the Gunners a then club-record £72 million to sign from Nice in 2019. He played 112 matches for the Gunners and scored 27 times for them.
Speaking to Colinterview earlier this year, Pepe claimed that Arteta went back on his words and did not let him flourish at Arsenal. He accused the Gunners manager of signing Willian and giving the former Chelsea star more than enough chances despite not getting the results.
"People say that he identified me as a player that wasn't up to the level in his team, in his philosophy," he said. "It's completely false. When he arrived, he had (Manchester) City's philosophy. He had a squad that was filled with quality and backups in every position."
"When he spoke to me, he said he counted on me, he wanted me to do this or that, and you have to focus on that," Pepe continued. "He improved me in every way. He spoke to me the whole time, I watched videos with his assistants all the time."
"He really believed in me. He said I had incredible potential, so we need to extract that potential. At the end of the first season, he spoke with me and told me to do this or that," he added further.
"The second season comes along, I was a substitute. I was going mad. How could I be a substitute when he said he counted on me? Everything is spinning in your head. I was a substitute. It was at the time when they signed Willian. He is a number 10 or a winger. But he plays on the wing for like 11 or 12 matches in a row," Pepe signed off.
Pepe leaves Arsenal after terminating contract
Arsenal have confirmed that Pepe has left the club after terminating his contract. The former club-record signing is reportedly set to join Trabzonspor in Turkey on a free transfer.
Reports earlier this week in Sky Sports claimed that the Super Lig side were set for a £3 million move for the winger. However, they are now getting their target for free after he left Arsenal.
Pepe played 93 matches under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and scored 23 times.
