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Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe has revealed he joined the club because they match his ambition.
Pepe arrived from Lille this summer in a club-record £72m deal.
The transfer fee smashes the £55m Arsenal paid Borussia Dortmund for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2018.
Reports in France this summer claimed both Liverpool and Manchester United made offers for Pepe, but the forward decided Arsenal was the club for him. Napoli too were scrambling to sign the goalscorer, and Pepe lifted the lid on why he chose Arsenal.
‘I chose to come here because it’s a club with a lot of ambition,’ Pepe told the club website.
Nicolas Pepe in action with Burnley’s Erik Peters.
‘They have the dream of coming back to the Champions League and I am also an ambitious person, so the choice was very logical.
‘I am attracted to the Premier League because it is an extremely intense championship and the best league in the world.
‘The idea is to win the Europa League and that is a goal of ours. It’s a European event and our goal is to do better than last season. I believe we will.’
Pepe is yet to make his full debut for Arsenal, but did come off the bench in Premier League wins over both Newcastle and Burnley.
Unai Emery says Arsenal ambition impressed him
Arsenal visit Liverpool on Saturday with both sides unbeaten and Pepe explained how Unai Emery was key to helping him settle in at the London club.
‘It’s been really good because he speaks French and it has been much easier for us to communicate,’ he said.
‘I am new, the strategy and tactics are new and it really helps that I can get the coach’s assistance.
‘Now I need to learn English and this is something he is helping me with also.’
