slide-icon

Pépé Stuns Arsenal with Goal, Refuses to Celebrate

There was plenty of hype over Nicolas Pépé at the Emirates when he signed for Arsenal in a huge £72m deal from Lille in 2019.

This browser is not supported, please use a different one or install the app

While the talented winger showed glimpses of promise during his time in North London, he struggled to compete over a difficult four-year spell and eventually left on a free transfer to Trabzonspor in 2023.

The 30-year-old returned to North London with a bang on Wednesday, opening the scoring for Villarreal in a pre-season friendly. However, Pépé showed his class by refusing to celebrate his close-range finish.

– Wednesday, 6 August 2025

Villarreal soon doubled their lead through Etta Eyong before Christian Nørgaard pulled a goal back late in the first period.

📸 Eddie Keogh - 2025 Getty Images

Transfer RumorArsenalVillarrealNicolas PépéChristian Nørgaard