The price tag never left him. When Nicolas Pepe arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2019, it was as the most expensive African footballer in history.
A £72 million statement signing who was supposed to transform the Gunners' attack and fire them back into the elite. What followed was one of the most complicated and, at times, painful chapters in recent Premier League memory.
But speaking to Flashscore in this exclusive interview, the 30-year-old Ivorian is not bitter. He is reflective, honest and, crucially, content.
Because after the false starts and the loans and the free transfers and the reinventions, Pepe has finally found the environment where he can simply be himself. And that environment is Villarreal.
On Arteta: I regret the lack of communication
The Arsenal story is one that Pepe has clearly thought about deeply. He arrived from Lille off the back of a stunning 2018/19 season, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists, second only to Kylian Mbappe in the Ligue 1 scoring charts. The world was watching. The expectations were enormous.
They were never truly met. In 112 appearances over three seasons, Pepe scored 27 goals, a return that, measured against the investment, fell well short of what was expected of him.
By the end, under Mikel Arteta's increasingly demanding system, he had effectively ceased to exist at the club. A loan to Nice followed, then a free transfer to Trabzonspor, before Villarreal picked him up in the summer of 2024.
The contrast between his relationship with Arteta and the one he now has with Marcelino's coaching setup says everything.
"First, it's different. These two managers are really different," Pepe told Flashscore.
"We'll start with Arteta, who is a coach who asks for certain things. Sometimes it was a bit tough for me, where from time to time we didn't have this communication. And that's what I regret the most: not having enough communication with him.
"Then with coach Marcelino, it's the opposite, where I think we talk about everything, about nothing, football, not football, whatever," he continued.
"I always say that I prefer a coach who is totally transparent with me, whether it's the right or the wrong side. It allows me to move forward and progress."
Two leagues, two worlds
Having now experienced English football at its most intense and Spanish football at its most technical, Pepe is uniquely placed to compare the two.
"It's totally different in terms of intensity of play. The Premier League, we were very much focused on the intensity, whereas in Spain, we are more relaxed, the idea of playing is to play the ball," he said.
"Then, with stadiums in England, I think there are no better. You can go to the third or fourth division, you will have stadiums that are filled with incredible atmosphere.
"In Spain, too, there's atmosphere, but it's totally different. So I think it's two different leagues, but they are at a very high level."
It is the kind of comparison that only lived experience can produce, as Pepe continues to remind the world of his quality in LaLiga.
Backing Arsenal, with a warning
The Premier League title race was the obvious subject to raise with someone who knows Arsenal as intimately as Pepe does.
Arsenal had held top spot for much of the season, but a defeat to Manchester City tightened the race considerably, with the gap now potentially coming down to goal difference if both sides win their remaining fixtures.
Pepe has watched it closely. And while he believes Arsenal have what it takes, he is also fully aware of what City can do.
"Honestly, I think it will be about details. They still have the Champions League to play, so there is that to manage. City have nothing to do, I think they only have the Premier League now, so they will be focused on the Premier League," he said.
"But it will really depend on the details because I think the difference is one goal. I think Arsenal will end up champions, but really, it's a pity losing to City."
Finding his feet at the Yellow Submarine
At Villarreal, Pepe has become the player many always believed he could be. In the 2025/26 LaLiga season, he has made 29 appearances so far, scoring five goals and registering four assists.
The club currently sit third in LaLiga, chasing a return to the Champions League after the heartbreak of last season's early group-stage exit.
That Champions League campaign, which saw Villarreal face giants Manchester City, Tottenham and Juventus, was a bitter experience as they were eliminated at the league stage. However, Pepe is confident they can return to Europe's elite once again.
"It's important for Villarreal to qualify for the Champions League again because before that, before last year, before this year, we were really keen to qualify. Unfortunately, this year we didn't have a big journey in the Champions League," he said.
"In LaLiga, we really want to qualify to give the fans what they deserve, which is the Champions League. So for now, we're in third. The best thing is to stay third and stay like that until the end of the season."
And crucially, he believes the experience gained in the group stage will make Villarreal a different proposition if they return next season.
"I don't think we can do worse than we did this year. So with what we've produced this year, I think we can only do better. We played Manchester City, Tottenham and Juventus. We played big matches.
"For most players, including myself, it was the first Champions League. We gained a bit more experience. I think that the season to come, if we make it to the Champions League, we'll do better."
Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast & World Cup dreams
Football for Pepe has always been shaped by the greats he watched growing up. And when asked who his role model was as a young player, his answer is immediate.
"Yaya Toure. When I was younger, Yaya Toure in Barcelona was one of the players I liked watching when I turned on the TV."
And like Toure, the national team remains a constant source of pride and motivation. However, the winger was notably absent from Emerse Fae's Ivory Coast squad for the Africa Cup of Nations last December, an omission that raised eyebrows given his form at Villarreal.
But the door to the Elephants, he insists, has never fully closed on him.
"When the country calls you, you answer in the present. So if they call me, I will give everything until I die, as they say. Because it's the homeland and we do everything for the country."
With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching and Ivory Coast preparing to compete on the biggest stage, Pepe's form at Villarreal may yet force the conversation about a recall.
