Arsenal loan record signing Nicolas Pépé to OGC Nice - Needed room to improve squad

Arsenal have loaned out record signing Nicolas Pépé to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Thursday. The 27-year-old winger will join Nice until the end of the season. According to The Athletic, this is a straight loan without an option to buy for Nice. It is also understood that Arsenal will continue to pay part of Pépé's salary in the upcoming season. 

Signed for a record €80 million by Arsenal from Lille in the summer of 2019, Pépé never fully arrived in the Premier League. The winger scored just 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 games across all competitions for the Gunners. Last season Pépé managed just 681 minutes across 20 games (one goal and two assists) and quickly became a surplus requirement under manager Mikel Arteta. 

Pépé's performances also had an impact on the player's market value. The winger has dropped from a high €75 million in September 2019 to just €25 million today. Despite the drop, Pépé is still the second most valuable player in Nice's squad behind Amine Gouiri. 

Pépé departure - Arsenal now able to sign new players?

For Arsenal, the Pépé deal was key if the club wants to add new players in the summer window. “What we can communicate, we always do when it’s the right moment," Arteta said when asked about new signings earlier this month (cited by The Athletic). "We discussed that we have a big squad, and we’ve made some decisions and allowed some players to leave. Until the end of the window, it’s possible that anything can happen with any player.”