Arsenal are more eager than ever to sign Lille winger Nicolas Pepe after Danny Welbeck’s injury. Welbeck suffered a terrible injury on his right ankle during Arsenal’s Europa League fixture against Sporting CP.
Emery said after the match that Welbeck’s injury is serious. Even though Arsenal haven’t received any of Welbeck’s MRI scans or other details of his injury, they fear that he may be unavailable for the remainder of the season.
This leaves Arsenal with only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as their premier strikers. Emery is eager to bolster his attack now and reportedly wants to sign Pepe in January.
Nicolas Pepe has done brilliantly for Lille this season so far. He has scored 8 goals and has provided 7 assists in 12 Ligue 1 matches so far. Arsenal are keeping close tabs on the Ivory Coast international and will reportedly offer £45 million.
The Gunners are serious contenders to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season. They’ll also look to win the Europa League and the Carabao Cup. Hence, Unai Emery will require more than just two strikers for the longer run. And the addition of Nicolas Pepe will certainly fortify Arsenal’s attack.
However, signing Pepe won’t be easy for Arsenal as several top clubs are eager to sign Pepe. Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Barcelona and Juventus are some of the clubs who have shown interest in Pepe.