I lost confidence under Arteta – being left out without explanation was hard to accept

The 29-year-old found his game time limited under Arteta when the Spaniard took, before he eventually left on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

“With Arteta, it wasn’t… well, it was good at the start,” Pepe told The Athletic.

“After that, the confidence wasn’t really there. I got less and less game time, so there was some frustration. I’m not someone who likes being on the bench every week without justification or explanation. So yeah, that’s something that created some tension.”

At the time, critics argued that Arsenal had overpaid for Nicolas Pepe, and the Ivorian has since admitted that the expectations placed on him were far from realistic.

“When a club pays that much for you, the little details don’t matter,” he said.

“I was young; it was the first time I had left France to play abroad. I had to adapt in lots of ways, but people don’t see that. They only see what happens on the pitch.

“Automatically, the first player to be criticised is the one that cost a lot of money. You have to be getting goals and assists, goals and assists. People expected 30, 35, 40 goals a season.

“But it was only Messi and Ronaldo who did that. Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it.”

Speaking about the abuse he received online, Pepe revealed that he took less risks during games because he knew the criticism would be severe if he made a mistake.

“It was severe and unjust. I saw a lot of nasty comments. When you see what people think of you, it affects you and your family, whether you like it or not.”

“You see the effects on the pitch when you’re not right mentally. Sometimes I would go out to play already feeling annoyed. And then you can’t do things you know how to.

“I’m a player who takes risks. But when you have all that in your head, you try not to be too daring. I didn’t want to make a certain pass or try a dribble because I knew that people would get on my back if I did. So you do the minimum: control the ball, look for someone who is unmarked, maybe pass sideways or backwards.”

Pepe joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on a free transfer in 2023 but left after just one season. He now plies his trade in La Liga with Villarreal and has scored one goal in eight games so far this campaign.