Nicolas Pepe

[Vesper 28,796]

Arsenal must pay £72m to secure Nicolas Pepe transfer, say Lille

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/8049974/arsenal-72million-nicolas-pepe-lille-chief/

 

LILLE chief Luis Campos has slapped a £72million price-tag on Arsenal target Nicolas Pepe.

Boss Unai Emery will need to smash the club's transfer record if they are to land the talented Frenchman.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains the club's most expensive ever player when he signed for £56m from Borussia Dortmund.

Pepe's form in Ligue 1 has attracted the interests of Europe's biggest clubs including Manchester City and Barcelona.

He has scored 12 goals in the league and is just one behind Kylian Mbappe who tops the scoring charts.

Lille know the interest in his signature means they can drive a hard bargain.

And they will certainly do that after Campos laughed off talk that they will sell him for £40m.

snip

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Its from last year, but just found it recently.

He basicaly said Chelsea is his dream team in PL.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

Not convinced by him fully. Decent player but predictable, always trying to come inside, little variation. Not ready for a top top club in my opinion.

The Dembele comparison surely goes as far as his playing style (although Dembele can play both wings, play with both feet excellently, provide assists and score), doesnt have the ability Dembele showed at Rennes and Dortmund.

Wouldnt be surprised if he remained in France for another season after this one and people think Pulisic for 60m is expensive, 72m for this guy is madness.

[Vesper 28,796]

43 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Not convinced by him fully. Decent player but predictable, always trying to come inside, little variation. Not ready for a top top club in my opinion.

The Dembele comparison surely goes as far as his playing style (although Dembele can play both wings, play with both feet excellently, provide assists and score), doesnt have the ability Dembele showed at Rennes and Dortmund.

Wouldnt be surprised if he remained in France for another season after this one and people think Pulisic for 60m is expensive, 72m for this guy is madness.

£72m is a shit tonne. I have been a huge booster of him, but that was when his valuation was £40m to £50m. Did Dortmund lower cost on Pulisic? Last I saw they wanted £70m, the £60m seems to be newspaper assumptions. Hope they are right.

Also, the London bookies are saying he is on verge of going to Klopp and Victimpool. (granted it is The Mirror) V'Pool has American owners, which means they would love to have the best USA player for marketing purposes. Football-wise, makes no sense for him to go to a team who already have 3 great wingers, 2 of whom are RWers like him (unless they shift him to LW, as he is right-footed)

Christian Pulisic "on brink" of Liverpool transfer as Borussia Dortmund man is linked

Jurgen Klopp has been linked with a reunion with the American star

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/christian-pulisic-on-brink-liverpool-13782788

[BlueLyon 9,359]

42 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Not convinced by him fully. Decent player but predictable, always trying to come inside, little variation. Not ready for a top top club in my opinion.

The Dembele comparison surely goes as far as his playing style (although Dembele can play both wings, play with both feet excellently, provide assists and score), doesnt have the ability Dembele showed at Rennes and Dortmund.

Wouldnt be surprised if he remained in France for another season after this one and people think Pulisic for 60m is expensive, 72m for this guy is madness.

Completely agree. He needs more development, and being 23, he isnt talent anymore.

He is in superb form though, but 70m is too much.

[the wes 7,212]

A goal and two assists in tonight's game 

[Vesper 28,796]

51 minutes ago, the wes said:

A goal and two assists in tonight's game 

I SOOOOOOO much prefer him over Malcom 

I count Mbappe and Sterling as LWers playing out of position due to Neymar and Sane

so only true RWers I would take over Pepe atm are

Mo Salah

Messi (although I never list him or CR7)

Ousmane Dembélé (true RWer playing on left due to Messi)

Bernardo Silva

thats it

Bale is too old for long term

[the wes 7,212]

16 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I SOOOOOOO much prefer him over Malcom 

I count Mbappe and Sterling as LWers playing out of position due to Neymar and Sane

so only true RWers I would take over Pepe atm are

Mo Salah

Messi (although I never list him or CR7)

Ousmane Dembélé (true RWer playing on left due to Messi)

Bernardo Silva

thats it

Bale is too old for long term

Lionel Messi is the only player to have been directly involved in more goals than Nicolas Pepe in Europe's top five leagues this season 🔥 ⚽️ x 13 🅰️ x 7

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

I SOOOOOOO much prefer him over Malcom 

I count Mbappe and Sterling as LWers playing out of position due to Neymar and Sane

so only true RWers I would take over Pepe atm are

Mo Salah

Messi (although I never list him or CR7)

Ousmane Dembélé (true RWer playing on left due to Messi)

Bernardo Silva

thats it

Bale is too old for long term

Yet you think £70 mill is too much for him?

[Vesper 28,796]

13 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Yet you think £70 mill is too much for him?

A wee bit, well it seems high compared to the £45m that was floated for months. TBH, I MIGHT pay it, I would like to see him close out year with 25ish goals en toto. The ONLY reason I hesitate on 72m is that it is his first truly big season. I work off of potential a lot, and he seems sky high, plus he is a marvellous athlete, which I rate high for the EPL. £55-60m is a great price in my book.

Its pretty slim pickings for truly WC pure left-footed RWers atm.

[Unionjack 7,531]

Thats why I questioned why you thought that price too high. You placed him high on the list behind sone world class players. Any tou know the inflated prices in todays markey for the majority of the time you dont aslways get wjat you pay for.

But Ive always heardyou talk so highly of him that I would jump on him at that price myself.

[Superblue 6,370]

I would always be apprehensive spending big money on a player after their first big season after what happened with Bakayoko.

[Vesper 28,796]

3 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Thats why I questioned why you thought that price too high. You placed him high on the list behind sone world class players. Any tou know the inflated prices in todays markey for the majority of the time you dont aslways get wjat you pay for.

But Ive always heardyou talk so highly of him that I would jump on him at that price myself.

I might pay it, and there are no other available RWers not on that post I would pay anything near £72m for. No way. Mahrez is 28 in a month, sò hell no. £72m for one full under 30yo year? Nope. If Bailey was scoring at Pepe pace, then hell yes, but he has collapsed,  which makes me a teenie bit cautious on Pepe  but Pepe is not a fucked up kid, like Bailey, and Pepe is doing it on a far less talented team.

Bernardeschi has regressed, Chiesa is still a LW in my book.

Oh, Jadon Sancho. I would pay far more than £72m, BUT, he is really at the end of the day a LWer (although he could bench all but MAYBE Pepe out of any of my soable RWers), and also Shitty would block us. They would match price, then sell him, (maybe sell, if Pep is to be believed) to a non EPL club. Or keep him, as like I said, Mahrez is 30 in a couple years.

[Vesper 28,796]

16 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I would always be apprehensive spending big money on a player after their first big season after what happened with Bakayoko.

Yes, it is such a gamble unless you are SURE, like Mbappe or de Ligt sure, lolol. Unfortunately we are there perhaps for our striker (Piątek, who wont be CRAZY high priced, or to a lesser extent of a gamble, Jovic)

[Vesper 28,796]

1 hour ago, Unionjack said:

Thats why I questioned why you thought that price too high. You placed him high on the list behind sone world class players. Any tou know the inflated prices in todays markey for the majority of the time you dont aslways get wjat you pay for.

But Ive always heardyou talk so highly of him that I would jump on him at that price myself.

The only wingers on the planet, no stipulations as to availability or cost or position or feasibility due to age, or even want on team, who truly excite me are

Mbappe, Neymar, Eden, Messi, CR7, Dembele, Sane, Salah, Jadon Sancho, Bernardo Silva, Insigne, Vinícius Júnior, Martial (but more as a CF TBH), Bale but do not want him), Sterling, Nicolas Pepe, Suso, and Memphis Depay.

 

Potential wise (and these are a big drop off from above ATM) I have to add Pulisic, Chiesa, Iñaki Williams, David Neres, Reiss Nelson, Samuel Chukwueze, Hirving Lozano, Kingsley Coman, Mikel Oyarzabal, Thorgan Hazard, Steven Bergwijn, Richarlson, Gonçalo Guedes, Ismaïla Sarr, Rodrygo, Justin Kluivert, Paulinho, CHO, Alphonso Davies, Willem Geubbels, Javairô Dilrosun, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Maxwell Cornet, Keita Baldé, Ferrán Torres, Ademola Lookman, Julian Brandt, Cristian Pavón, Rodrigo De Paul, Fernando, Ezequiel Barco, Josip Brekalo, Moussa Diaby, Allan Saint-Maximin, Yann Karamoh, and Roger Guedes.

Then the reclamation projects (who still have massive potential) of Malcom, Thomas Lemar, Bailey, Bernardeschi, and Asensio.

Thats pretty much every winger I rate in one of those 3 categories, including 17yo's.

[Vesper 28,796]

2 more goals v  Marseille

15 league goals in 22 games

 

[LAM09 6,744]

Even more reason to go for him

[mccg 1,528]

Absolute baller, sign him now' - Chelsea fans go nuts as Arsenal target 'dreams' of Blues move

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/transfer-news/nicolas-pepe-chelsea-arsenal-transfer-15736774